Impossible Circumstances
by twilighty
Summary: Edward loves Bella, but he also loves what’s -or rather who’s- getting in the way. When he finds himself in a lose-lose situation how will he handle it… That’s why its never simple to fall in love under Impossible Circumstances.. E&B All Human Slight OOC
1. Preface

_**A/N: NEW STORY! HOPE YOU LIKE IT… READ AND REVIEW!**_

_**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Twilight… okay I know it wont work, okay?...I'll never own nothing but the plot, and that sucks…**_

_**Preface  
(Edward POV)**_

_How had I gotten myself into this mess? Why had I fallen for her? If only I hadn't accepted that stupid deal, none of this would have happened.  
Well maybe it would have, but I can't help wonder how things would have turned out if I had kept my distance. For the better? Worse? _

_This is all a mess I hurt them both and I hurt myself. I loved them both, damn I still do!_

_I was selfish, stupid. I could have avoided all of this but yet I decided to try and do things right for me. I thought I had considered them,  
I lied to myself by saying it was what was best for them as well. I twisted myself into believing she loved me too. Oh, how wrong I was!_

_I shouldn't be allowed to exist, I never should have been a part of their lives. That's all I'm here for, to hurt the people I love. I love him, and I love her  
more than my own life. And even with the love I feel for them I couldn't force myself to do the right thing, leave them alone.  
I knew it was the wrong thing to do, I knew I was betraying them, betraying their trust…but still I decided to continue._

_I can't believe I was that stupid, selfish, delusional, as to believe doing _that _was the right thing. To think that 'having the truth out there'  
would somehow make it better. If I had stopped thinking about me for a second I would have realized that this would only hurt them more.  
But then again since when am I selfless? Since when do I care about anyone but myself?_

_If I'm being honest with me I always knew I shouldn't do that. My mind kept yelling at me to stop it, to let them be, to stay away from them, from her.  
But I just wouldn't listen, I was too stubborn. I tricked them, damn I even tricked myself. I lied so much that eventually even I couldn't tell  
what was a lie and what was not. I lied so much that when the truth came out my world was crushed. The world I had constructed entirely  
with lies, the ones I told them and the ones I told myself._

_But even in all of my selfishness and pain I can't help but regret what I just did. I don't regret meeting her and I definitely don't  
regret the time I spent with her, of course I don't. Even as hard as I try to press myself into feeling regretful for what I feel, I can't.  
Because no one should regret love, even if all it brings into your life is pain. If you had experienced what I did you'd understand,  
you'd get why I did that. But it was still wrong to act that way, to say what I said._

_They are gone now… not physically but in essence, at least for me. I wouldn't be surprised if they never talked to me again,  
or if they decided to leave, to get as far away from me as they possibly can. I can't bring my mind to stop remembering their expressions,  
their pain, the surprise, sorrow and regret, the anger in his eyes and the hopelessness in hers. It only makes me hurt more, but I welcome the pain.  
I deserve it… at least now I can feel a fraction of what they did._

_Why had my heart decided to love her? Hadn't it thought of the consequences? Of the pain it would bring us both? Of course it hadn't,  
because love is irrational, it comes right when you less expect it and in my case in the worst way possible. Love is supposed to light up your world,  
to make you feel happy, in bliss. To make you want what's best for the other person, to stop thinking about yourself and look up for the others.  
Love should be reciprocated, but from what I just saw, that only happens in the movies, or in better circumstances._

_I know you would have done the same if you were in my place. Or maybe not, maybe you'd have thought things through first.  
Maybe you would have decided against trying to make yourself happy and give them what they deserve, happiness.  
You could have sacrificed yourselves for the ones you love, I could have done that, but I didn't. _

_Of course I can see why she doesn't love me. I'm a selfish bastard who doesn't care who he hurts to get what he wants. She, on the other hand,  
is selfless and cares for everyone but herself. We are complete opposites. Then why had I fallen for her? Well that's only because my heart is stupid._

Stupid enough to fall in love under impossible circumstances.

Stupid enough to fall for my **_best friend's girlfriend._**

**A/N: HOPE YOU LIKED IT SO FAR…THE NEXT CHAPTER IS READY SO IF YOU'RE GOOD WITH REVIEWS I'LL UPDATE TOMORROW…OR NOT MUAHAHA- Hmm-(clears throat)- sorry for that...  
ALSO I'LL SUGGEST A GOOD FAN-FIC TO READ IN EACH CHAPTER… SO YOU CAN READ IT WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE NEXT UPDATE.**

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	2. Surprise, Surprise

**A/N: HI! Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed, alerted or added me to their favorites, you rock. This story will be mainly in Edward's POV.  
I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, I CERTAINLY DO. **

**Read and **_**REVIEW!**_**  
Disclaimer: Every time I write in here my self-esteem drops ten points, so why bother really… we all know I own nothing but the plot.**

**Edward POV**

"A margarita, please." I asked the bartender for my drink. I can't believe there is even a bartender. I mean this is supposed to be a birthday party for my sister Alice, and she is merely seventeen, we are not supposed to have alcohol yet. But she, being, well… Alice, managed to get it, I'm not surprised though. Alice can get everything she wants. She literally forced me to come here, although forced me to _stay_ was a more accurate statement, since this party was being held in my own house. I had been dressed up and pumped until she approved of my appearance. _'No way you're wearing _that_, try this on…Hmm, its not good enough, try this… Oh that's it, wait _no_! Try this one… Yes! You're SO gonna wear _that_.' _Were Alice's exact words_._ I swear to god my sister is nuts, seriously she never even _tries _to _pretend_ to be normal.

So here I stood, bored to the core, in a party I didn't want to assist to. I watched as my sister and her boyfriend danced in perfect sync to the music. They are perfect for each other, she is always so perky and hyper and he is so calm and serene. He can stop one of her energy rampages with one mere touch or by speaking her name. It is obvious they are in love, you can tell just by looking at them. They can stare at each other for hours or just hold on to each other and never let go. I had watched them sitting in a couch, snuggling into each other for hours straight, without even attempting to make a conversation or small talk. It was just sickening.

Their relationship is indescribable, they are just _meant to be_.

I grimaced at this words, they were so old fashioned, but still held so much meaning to them. The truth is I envy them, they found love and are overly sure of this fact. God! He is even going to propose to her once their senior year is over. They have each other, forever.

Me? I have my friends _and_ my margarita.

I took the glass in between my hands absentmindedly and drank some of it, it was pretty good, not the best I have had, but good enough. Plus the alcohol burned my throat a little, helping me forget about my previous thoughts, for a while at least.

I leaned my back against the edge of the bar, taking another sip of my drink. I was content with the way my life had turned out, I may not have a girlfriend but I have some really great friends. Seth, Jacob and Jasper, even as my sister's boyfriend we get along perfectly, he is nice. Plus, if he is going to propose to Alice, something she is sure to accept, we will end up being family. Better have a soft start. He always helped me with anything I needed and can somehow sense which mood I'm in and do the right thing.

Jacob, well we didn't have the best start of all. We were practically enemies at the beginning of our freshman year. I was the new-student and he was Mr. Popularity. Being the new guy is never easy, especially if the only one who talks to you, besides your sister, also happens to be Mr. Popularity's girlfriend. I wasn't interested in her at all, at least not more than a friend. She was beautiful I couldn't deny that but she was still nothing but a friend to me. Vanessa came up to me, in my first day, and sweetly asked what my next class was, I answered her and she told me it was her next class as well. We walked together to class while she talked about how life was in this school. I remember smiling at her and we talked during the whole class, for the teacher was absent.

Now imagine my reaction when, after my first day in a new school, Jacob came up to me, all tall and strong, and told me to stay the hell away from his girlfriend. He pushed me and told Vanessa to never talk to me again. She, being so nice, never did such a thing. We continued to be friends, talking during history and study hall, the only classes we shared, at least without Jacob. It was nice, someone besides my sister to talk to. I hated Jacob, who gave him the right to decide about what Vanessa and I should do.

But someone told Jacob I still talked to her and he decided to 'teach me a lesson'. We had a fight, not a fist fight, although he was more than up for one. We called each other every single insult we knew. Of course the whole school started shouting, _'fight, fight'_ in unison while gathering around us. Therefore the principal noticed and called our parents.

After that we had to spend every single Saturday together in detention for three months. It was torture at first but then we had time to explain everything to each other. He told me how he loved Vanessa more than anything and how the mere thought of losing her made him act stupidly. I understood, although I haven't felt that kind of love, the kind that makes you delusional, to the point of not thinking your actions.

After that, I told him I loved Vanessa as nothing more than a friend and we have been friends ever since.

With Seth, well things were different, we hadn't met each other until after Jacob and I could be called friends. He was the one who told Jake I was still friends with Nessie. This fact, instead of making me hate him, made me trust him even more. He hadn't cared about anyone but his friend when he did that. Seth's a really great friend, and he is to be trusted with your life.

But neither Jasper nor Seth not even Jacob compare to my best friend. Mark. We have known each other for practically our whole life. We assisted the same elementary school and have been friends since the beginning. We used to live a couple minutes away from each other and did everything together, that was until I moved here. Although we still kept in touch, it was never the same. I was excited, to say the least, he was coming here tonight.

Mark is tall and lean, yet a little muscled. He's such a goof, just like Jacob, always joking and trying to lighten the mood. What with his black hair and his dark-brown eyes he considers himself a part of the average population. He lives in Port Angeles which is only an hour-and-a-half drive from here, but it's been four months since I last saw him. We communicated by e-mails or phone calls, but I still missed my best friend.

I was pulled out of my train of thought by someone giving me a pat in my shoulder. I turned my head to see Jacob.

"Wazzup Bloodsucker." He asked happily, I smiled at this; bloodsucker was one of the many insults he had used upon me during our little ancient fight.

"Nothing much…_dog_." I answered using an insult I had used during our fight as well. We like to call each other like that, it's an inside joke. He smiled and chuckled lightly. "How 'bout you" I asked as well.

"Just the same _leech."_ He replied and I laughed freely this time. "Have seen Nessie?" He asked curiously. I thought about it, I hadn't been paying enough attention to my surroundings to notice anyone but my sister and her boyfriend.

"Not really _mongrel._" I said simply and he chuckled again.

"She's probably late." He said resigned, I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Jacob and Vanessa are just as much in love as Alice and Jasper, they are not helping my case at all.

"Oh don't you worry, she'll come around, _PUP_" I said before bursting out laughing. Jake grimaced at this, I had clearly won this time. He seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds and then his grimace deepened, he couldn't recall any other nickname he could call me. I started laughing harder and he composed himself.

"You haven't won yet… uhum… um… aaah… Dracula?" He said, unsure of himself. His stupid nickname only made me laugh harder. He seemed to realize what he had said and chuckled at his own stupidity. After we finished with our round of laughter Jacob ordered a coke and I finished my margarita, not bothering to order another one.

We were both leaning against the bar, facing the dance floor while we watched people sway to the music. Nessie joined us soon after and she and Jacob tried not to make me feel like a third wheel. _But hey! If the shoes fit. _

As soon as it seemed subtle I excused myself with the lamest excuse ever 'Gotta check on Topaz'. I could practically hear Jacob rolling his eyes at my stupid statement. But what else could I say? 'Gotta stop being a third wheel' yeah not likely. I have a little more dignity than that… a little. **(A/N: So Topaz, Edward's golden retriever will be part of this story as well, I love writing about dogs. Plus Topaz will be important in this story.)**

I walked towards the stairs, pretending to go to my room. Just when I was going to take the first step up, I noticed Alice was glaring at me. She probably thinks I'm leaving her party. I smiled at her and her glare softened but she still shook her head at me, stopping me from going upstairs. I sighed and retrieved my foot from the first step, leaning now, against the railing.

I decided to go check if everything was right on the kitchen. _What? I can check the kitchen if I want to._ I began walking to it but was stopped when I noticed Seth enter the house. Thank god! I thought I would really have to go check out the pots and dishes.

I waved at him and Seth noticed me quickly, turning to walk towards me. I waited patiently for him to catch up with me, after all it was either that or checking out the _kitchen_. Once he was in front of me he spoke in his cheerful voice.

"Hey man, what's up?" He greeted me, shaking my hand.

"Not much. You?" I returned his question.

"Nothing at all. It's sad. But-oh yeah something happened, you'll see…" And with that he launched into a minute by minute description of his recent trip to the beach, in which apparently he fell face first to the ground in front of Marie, the girl he likes. Seriously I was laughing so hard when he described his fall. Apparently he tripped over a shell that was deep in the sand, exactly at the same time he was trying to get a hold of Marie's hand.

"And she was all 'Oh my god are you okay?' and I was like 'Yeah sure, I'm strong' and…" He said, mimicking Marie's tone perfectly while making his tone much manlike when he represented himself. Oh yeah that's another thing about Seth, he gossips like an old lady, plus he speaks like a fourteen year old cheerleader at times. I had managed to stop laughing out loud now, I was merely shaking a little with the remains of my earlier laughing fit. Seth's anecdote helped me a little, distracting me mainly.

"So she then stares at my face like there is something funny about it. I raise my hand and guess what I found." He trailed off and I only shook my head, I have absolutely no clue what it might have been. "A piece of fish! It was gross!" He continued and I started to chuckle a little again. "So my _manly_ reaction is to start jumping around and running in circles while screaming like an old lady who's being chased by a rat." Seth was serious, and I can tell he feels embarrassed at his reaction. But even considering all that, I couldn't stop myself from bursting out laughing, the image of Seth running around while screaming was something too good to look past it.

I regained my composure after a couple minutes and found Seth looking at me, trying to hold back laughter himself. I straightened myself and motioned for him to continue, apologizing for my laughing fit.

"So the worst part is" He continued as if he had never been interrupted. See what I mean? He gossips just like and old lady. "Marie takes me by the shoulders and then slaps me shouting 'Calm down'. She takes the fish pieces off my face and then leans closer to me." He continued and I could see there was another funny part coming up, but I tried my hardest to control myself. "And just when I think '_she's gonna kiss me!_' she says 'Seriously how much can anyone freak out because of _fish_?' and then she turns around and walks away." I managed to control my laughter this time although I did shook a little.

Once we were done with our conversation Seth decided to go to the bathroom, leaving me alone once again. But the image of him jumping around in circles while screaming like crazy, had me in high spirits. I glanced around for something to occupy myself with. I looked at the bar. Maybe Jacob and Nessie weren't there anymore and therefore I can stand there without feeling like a complete intruder.

The bar was clean, of my friends at least, so I walked towards it and decided I would order another margarita, might as well get a little drunk. The bartender was a little busier than usual so my drink might take a while to be served. While I waited for it I took a seat on one of the chairs near the bar, wondering when Mark would show up.

I know he's coming all the way from Port Angeles, but still how much can you take. Besides he's the only reason I'm here for, he and my sister, but I would have left hours ago if it wasn't for the fact he was coming here. Mark is always late, so it shouldn't surprise me. I looked at my watch, merely 10:30, he might arrive at midnight for all I know, besides he's sleeping over.

I glanced around the party once again, trying to find any sign of him. None. I sighed once again and then I heard the bartender say that my drink was ready.

"A margarita's out" He said and I turned around to retrieve my drink. I was about to reach out for it when someone else took it in between his or her hands. From the way the fingers wrapped around the glass, the long nails and stylish fingers I knew for a fact it was a girl who was stealing my margarita.

I raised my eyes to look at whoever it was, the girl had brown hair and brown eyes, kind of average looking, only she was prettier than average. She was pale, even paler than me and was wearing a red top that made her skin look silky, along with skinny jeans and red shoes. I raised my eyes to her face again, for my eyes had traveled down her body, and found her looking at the margarita in her hands. She hadn't taken a sip, and she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. **(A/N: Bella's outfit on profile.)**

I have no idea why but I want to know what she's thinking about. I stared at her like a total idiot, while she brought the glass to her lips and took a sip, grimacing instantly. I wonder why she would ask for a margarita if she doesn't like it.

The girl looked around the bar, seeming to struggle about something, biting her lower lip.

The bartender appeared then and he brought another margarita in his hands and said.

"One virgin margarita" He announced as he settled the glass on top of the bar and smiled at the mysterious girl, pushing the new glass towards her. The girl looked taken aback and then looked at the glass in her hands, my glass, and her eyes filled with understanding. She stared at the margarita in her hands and asked something to the bartender. I wasn't too far away, actually I was fairly near her, but as much as I tried to hear she was speaking in a whisper, making it impossible.

The bartender laughed a little while the girl pointed at my-her margarita. The bartender looked around for a second until he spotted me. He turned to talk to the girl and pointed towards me. She looked at me and a little pink entered her cheeks once she noticed I was looking at her, making her look cuter than she already is. _Damn! She caught me staring._

She took both glasses and said something to the bartender before turning around and heading towards me, glasses in hand. I tried to stay calm, she's merely another girl, plus I really want that drink. After what seemed like forever she finally stopped a step away from me, looking sheepish.

"Um… I kind of… um took you drink?" She said in the most angelic-unsure voice I've ever heard, while biting her lower lip. I smiled sincerely at her. "Sorry." She said while she handed me my margarita. I chuckled lightly and she did too, relieved I wasn't mad.

"No problem." I said while reaching out to take the margarita. I retrieved it from her hand willingly but held it in my hands, not really attempting to drink of it. She seemed to struggle with herself, maybe she wanted to leave. The mere thought hurt my heart and I have no idea why it does. She bit her lip once again and looked behind her, probably thinking about a feasible excuse to leave. I need to find a way to make her stay.

"Thanks for the margarita" I said and she smiled, turning to look at me, now more at ease. I attempted to take a sip, but just when my lips where about to touch the glass I remembered something. "You _do_ know I saw when you drank off this glass, right?" I said teasingly, while pointing at the glass in my hand. She chuckled lightly after blushing. _God, she looks beautiful._

"I thought it was mine." She argued while slapping my arm playfully and laughing freely. _Her smile is beautiful._ I smiled back and I heard her catch her breath. _Well, maybe she likes me too. _

"Its okay, I don't mind." I assured her, taking a sip of my drink to emphasize my words. She laughed a little and took a sip of her drink herself, only this time she didn't grimace. "So virgin margarita, huh?" Her eyes widened at this and she blushed even further, the question here is why?... Oh Damn! She knows I was spying on her!_ Great Edward just GREAT!_

"Yeah I don't like tequila…" She trailed off and I think I heard her mutter a 'much' but I can't be sure. I smiled at her and she continued. "But I like the taste of margarita, so what the heck." She said, waving her free hand for emphasis. I chuckled lightly as did she.

"So you don't like tequila, but you like margaritas" I asked more to myself than to her. She laughed again and nodded.

"I'm Bella by the way" She said, extending her hand for me to shake. I took her hand in mine and couldn't help notice how right it felt.

"Edward." I said right before she let go of my hand. We smiled at each other but neither of us made a move to continue talking. I need to say something before she decides to leave.

"So Bella, what do you do for a hobby, besides stealing people's drinks." I teased her. She smiled at the last part and glared playfully at me. I smiled back innocently.

"Well I steal people's food for one…" She answered and I chuckled at her joke, she was fast. "And I like to read and listen to music." She said, and just after the words left her mouth she bit her lip and waited for my response.

She likes to read? God I hope she's not talking about magazines.

"What do you like to read?" I asked. _Please don't say magazines! Please don't say magazines!_

"Um… mainly classics. Hmm Wuthering heights, Pride and Prejudice, things like that." She answered and I almost laughed relieved, she likes classics, she might like romantic classics but still.

"I like those too." I said right before she could bit her lip off. She stopped chewing on it after I said this.

"Edward, what do _you_ do for a hobby?" She asked me in what, I hope, is an attempt to flirt.

"I listen to music, I read also but not as much." I answered truthfully, better play it sincere if I'm hoping for a phone number.

"Uuh." She said, trying to sound uninterested. "And what kind of music do you like best." She asked me. _Damn! She'll think I'm a freak._ But I can't lie. _Of course you can._ But I won't. _Yeah, Whatever._

"Classic music's my favorite, but I like some modern bands too." _Modern bands?! What time are you into? The eighties? Seriously Edward!_

"I like Debussy and you?" She asked me. Bella likes Debussy?! Seriously can she get anymore perfect? She doesn't think I'm a freak.

I was internally doing a happy dance before I answered.

"I love 'Clair de Lune'." I stated and she smiled at this.

"That's one of my favorites." She told me and I could see the sincerity in her eyes. And with that we started talking about every single song we new. About books and how the characters developed. It was wonderful Bella was not only beautiful but she was smart and kind. She even told me about how she was moving with her father so her mother could stay with her new husband. She was not only kind but obviously unselfish.

Somewhere along the way we ended up telling funny anecdotes about our lives.

"So he stands there in the middle of the cafeteria and shouts 'either you love me or I eat your bagel' threateningly." Bella said, trying to hold back her laughter, I laughed freely, it sounded so funny. Once I calmed down a bit she continued. "Seriously I was surprised more than anything, so after a moment of total, _tense_ silence it was obvious I wasn't going to answer… so he comes right to me and takes my _bagel_ and slowly takes a bite and chews on it." She continued and I was smiling, I can't help but imagine Bella's expression, it must have been priceless. "I'm telling you, that guy is nuts." She finished and I chuckled a bit.

"If he did _that_… then nuts doesn't even cover it." I agreed and she laughed lightly.

"Now, your turn." She said motioning towards me with her hand. I searched my brain for any funny story that wasn't so embarrassing. Hmm maybe one of Seth and me, yeah that one's pretty safe.

"Hmm. Well my friend Seth and I went to La Push for the weekend once." I began and I saw she was really interested. "So we were hanging out in the beach with some other friends and Seth was eating a hotdog, anyway, a seagull lands just by him and he looks at it and throws a piece of bread. The bird eats it and gets closer to Seth, making noises to get his attention, he looks at the seagull and sais 'come here thingy, want hotdog?' sweetly while he outstretched his hand to get the hotdog closer to it" Bella was smiling at my story. "So the bird comes closer and he says 'well too bad' and pulls the hotdog away from it. The seagull looks at Seth and suddenly it pinches him with its beak and Seth shrieks." Bella was starting to laugh now and I was having a hard time keeping myself serious while remembering Seth's face.

"Seth shakes his hand, trying to scare it away, but the seagull flies and starts hitting his head with its beak again." Bella was shaking with laughter and my voice was hardly coming out, Seth is hilarious. "My friend stands up and moves his hands around his head, trying to get the bird to leave." I had to stop for a second to regain composure. But Bella was chuckling. "Since it just wouldn't leave him alone he began to run around the beach with his hotdog still in hand, so like about five other seagulls come after him. But the best part were everyone's expressions, they were just… priceless." I was laughing now, remembering Jacob's 'WTF?' expression. She seemed to imagine my expression and laughed harder. **(A/N: That happened to my friend. Just…hilarious.)**

"Well that must have been funnier to see than to hear about." She said once she stopped laughing. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you have no idea how much." I said truthfully. She smiled then, probably trying to picture it. Maybe she'll give me her phone number, she seems to be having fun. She hasn't shown any sign of disliking me. Yeah I should ask her out, she has been nice so far, plus she's pretty. We have a lot in common I like her and she seems to like me, why else would she be here talking to me?

"So why were you invited to this party?" She asked me, right before I gathered my courage and asked her out.

"Um, this is my sister's party." I answered happily and her eyes widened for a second before she regained control. Hmm I wonder why she did that… "And you?" I asked her, well if she was a friend of Alice's, my sister and I would surely have a talk about why she would keep Bella from me.

"Uh well I don't really know anyone here, besides you of course." She said gesturing to me with her hand, and she seemed to be ashamed for crashing the party. Maybe if I ask I can get some of that beautiful blush of hers out.

"So you crashed the party?" I asked teasingly and her eyes widened again, she did blush but not that much while she hurried to explain.

"Of course not." She said obviously wanting that fact to be clear. "I _was_ invited, I'm meeting with someone." She said while she glanced around, looking for who it might be.

"A friend?" I asked, all I really wanted was to hear her voice again.

"No-" She began, but stopped talking when she saw what she was looking for. She waved at someone who was behind my back. I turned around curiously and found a blonde girl holding hands with a big guy. They must be the ones Bella is meeting here.

I was about to tore my gaze back to Bella when I saw Mark. I smiled harder than I had all night. My best friend was finally here. He arrived right before the couple I formerly saw and greeted me.

"Cullen, man! Long time no see." He said happily while he pulled me in for one of those one-armed hugs.

"Mark, buddy… I could say the same." I said still in our hug. We parted and I thought about introducing him to Bella, after all it was the right thing to do. I turned around to Bella and found her face full of surprise. I was taken aback by that and it took me a few seconds to regain composure. Finally I looked at Bella, ready to introduce her to Mark.

I was about to open my mouth when I saw something that socked me. Mark walked to Bella and wrapped his arms around her waist. Well now _that_ was low. I started to imagine Bella's reaction, would she yell at him? Slap him? Surprisingly she turned to look at him and smiled. He whispered something into her ear and she said something back. I was dumbfounded, what's happening?

After what felt like years Mark looked back at me. He smiled and I smiled back, although mine was fake.

"Anthony, man I want you to meet Bella…" He said looking at her. She smiled and brought her hands to his arms to intertwine her fingers with his. What's going on? "…My girlfriend."

**A/N: SO TELL ME…LIKE IT? HATE IT?…SHOULD I CONTINUE? Tell me in a REVIEW!**

_**This chapter's 'MUST-READ-FAN-FIC' suggestion is  
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	3. Bizarre Behaviour

**A/N: HI! **

***I'm sorry but 'Till Death So Us Apart' by Daddy's Little Cannibal is now M rated…I wanted to suggest only K-T Fan-Fics… but I swear to god I got the e-mail AFTER having recommended the story… and the update had a lemon…I'm not a huge fan lemons… but anyways sorry if you were expecting a T rated story…I'll double check from now on.  
*Sorry but I wont be able to update so frequently, I'll be training a lot and I wont have a lot of free time, sorry but that's the way it is. But I'll manage to update next weekend, I promise.  
*Read & REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: If you believe I own anything but the plot…then 'nuts' must be your #1 nickname.**

"Anthony, man I want you to meet Bella…my girlfriend." Wait what?! Bella is Mark's girlfriend? "Bella this is Anthony, my best friend." He said simply and she looked taken aback.

"Isn't your name Edward." She asked me a little too rudely.

"Y-yeah" I said but it sounded like a question, I was much too shocked.

"Yeah but I like to call him Anthony, its manlier… don't you think." Mark asked Bella while he shifted himself so he was now behind her, his arms still around her waist and their hands connected. "Plus no one really calls him by his second name… so it's original." He continued as I stared at them, completely flabbergasted.

"So he's the Anthony you always talk about?" Bella asked Mark, in a voice so alluring it made my insides turn.

"Yep, the one and only." He said happily. "Do you guys know each other?" Mark asked once he noticed my expression. There was silence, I couldn't force myself to answer.

"Yes, a few minutes ago… I stole his Margarita." Bella answered Mark's question while I continued to stare like and idiot. Mark chuckled at the reason we met.

"Why am I not surprised?" Mark asked rhetorically and Bella laughed lightly. "Anthony, bro. How have you been?" Mark asked me and I forced myself to answer this time.

"Great."_Until now_ I added mentally. "How 'bout you?" I asked him back. Damn I need to relax.

"Great, great." He said, not really into our conversation, he was paying attention to Bella. I decided a little drinking was called for, so I took my Margarita and drank half of it in one sip. I swallowed hard and my throat burned slightly. I settled the glass in the table again and thought about a way this could be any worse.

I was flirting with Mark's girlfriend for crying out loud! I was about to ask for her number! Thank god Mark arrived in time, it would have been so embarrassing. _Hey man what' you doing?... Nothing much just asking you girlfriend for her phone number... _Now _there's_ an awkward situation. But thankfully it didn't happen. Although I'm pretty sure that Mark would have understood, I'm happy I avoided that conversation.

I looked at Mark and Bella again, they were looking at each other adoringly. Gah! I almost asked her out! I made a mental note to ask any girl I met from now on if they have a boyfriend. Of course that wouldn't make me super popular. I mean picture this. _Hi I'm some random girl… Hi I'm Edward, Do you have a boyfriend?..._ surely the next thing I would notice would be her staring at me like I was gay... now that I think about it, that's pretty much how it would sound. Gay.

"So Anthony. Where's Alice?" Mark said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up at him and found Bella doing the same. They had separated a little and she was in between Mark and Me, but they were still holding hands.

"Who's Alice?" She asked him and he laughed.

"You're cute when you're jealous." Mark said, kissing the tip of her nose. She pulled away quickly.

"I'm not jealous! I'm curious. I don't know many people here after all." She said. I tried to look away, I felt like I was intruding their little talk.

"Sure, you're right. I'm such a bad boyfriend for letting you come here alone." Mark said in an overdramatic tone and Bella laughed.

"I wasn't alone I had Edward here to keep me company." She said, smiling at me. Her smile was so delicate, _she_ was so delicate. Like she needed to be protected from all harm.

"Yeah, you're right." Mark said happily. "Thanks for keeping my girl company, Anthony." Mark said to me and I pretended to chuckle at his polite tone. But the truth is that I wasn't in the mood for laughing, at all. Must be the fact that I'm playing third wheel… again.

"No problem, she's great to be around." I said truthfully and looked at Bella, only to find her blushing and smiling up at me. Mark turned to look at her then and she tore her gaze from mine to her boyfriend's.

"Yeah she surely is." He said right into her face and she smiled. They continued staring at each others eyes and I felt the need to look away again.

"You never answered my question, who's this Alice you were talking about." She asked once again. I smiled, she wasn't easy to fool.

"She's Anthony's sister. And this." He gestured towards his surroundings. "is her party." He finished. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Aah" She said in an uninterested tone that didn't fool anyone. Mark didn't seem to buy it either because he laughed.

"So cute." He said, kissing her cheek. Is there anyway I can stop playing third wheel? I could get a girlfriend for one, or I could find a way to leave them alone. Guess I'll just have to find a way to leave.

"So Anthony where's Alice, I want to congratulate her." He told me. I glanced around the party until I spotted my sister.

"She's over there, by the staircase." I answered while pointing with my finger in Alice's direction. Mark's gaze followed my finger and he smiled once he found who he was looking for.

"Come on cutie, lets go congratulate Alice." He said to Bella. She looked at him and bit her lip.

"Um…you go, I'll just stay here with Edward." She said, taking a step closer to me. I smiled and she looked at me, trying to communicate something with her eyes. I guess she feels uncomfortable meeting the girl who's holding the party Bella's practically crashing. I'll back her up.

"Yeah, you go Mark, I'll keep Bella company." I said. Mark looked unsure, he glanced at Bella, then at me. Finally he shrugged.

"Okay, I'll be right back." He released Bella's hands and walked towards the staircase.

"Thanks so much, I didn't want to feel like such an intruder." She told me once she made sure Mark was out of earshot. I looked at her and smiled.

"No problem." I assured her, she smiled back at me. I was about to continue with our conversation when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned my head to look at who it was and found my sister. Wasn't she by the staircase just a second ago? Is she magical or something?

"Hey! How you doing?" She asked me. I turned to look at the staircase. No sign of Mark. He must be walking around, trying to find my sister.

"Hey Alice, great and you?" I asked her back. She looked to be lost in her thoughts for a second, a distant look in her eyes.

"Great." She said, clearly distracted with her thoughts. Suddenly she looked at Bella and smiled. "Edward," My sister said in a restrained voice. "Who's this girl you're talking to?" She asked, looking at Bella, who brought her eyes up and back down once she noticed Alice's gaze.

"This is Bella, I met her a few minutes ago." I said. "Bella this is my sister Alice." I said, looking at Bella this time. She looked up and smiled at me.

"Hi Bella! So nice to meet you." Alice said happily extending her hand for Bella to shake.

"Nice to meet you too." Bella said truthfully while shaking Alice's hand. "Congratulations." She added once my sister released her hand.

"Thanks. So, Edward, I see you've made a good catch." My sister said suggestively. My eyes widened and I felt myself pale. I looked at Bella and found her eyes wide, ready to pop out of their sockets. I tried to regain composure, I didn't want to freak Bella or Alice out. I just had to explain. So I willed my eyes to stop widening and smiled.

"She _is_ a good catch." I said happily and my sister smiled while Bella blushed and smiled at me. "But she's someone else's catch." I finished truthfully. My sister's eyes widened this time.

"What? When? How?- _Whose?!" _She asked me all in one breath. I laughed lightly at her display. Why did she care so much?

"Mark's" I said, only answering her last question.

"Mark as in your best friend?" Alice asked, only this time she was pointing at me with her finger.

"Yes…" I said, unsure of her reaction. Alice had closed her eyes but they popped open once I answered. They were full of disbelief and contemplation. My sister is going nuts.

"And_ you_ are _Mark's_ _girlfriend_?" My sister asked Bella while looking at her with wide eyes and pointing at her like she had with me. Disbelief was ringing every word she said. Bella looked taken aback, she's probably scared of my sister…I know I am.

"Y-Yes?" Bella said but she was so unsure it sounded like a question. Alice's eyes widened more, if that's even possible. They were filled with rage and doubt. I have no idea why.

"Oh _no_-NO!- I mean awww isn't it a. Small. World!"Alice was acting even weirder than usual. What she was denying-I have no idea. She was touching her head with one hand, as if somehow that'd make her feel better. I was scared, to say the least. What's wrong with her? Bella seemed to have the same thought because she looked scared as well.

"Hi Alice!" Mark said suddenly from behind my sister. Alice opened her eyes and turned to look at him, with nothing but threat in her eyes. I wonder what's up with her. "Congratulations." He added happily. Alice's eyes were still filled with rage.

"Thanks Mark!" She said in a voice that didn't sound like her at all. It was so full with anger and threat. "So Bella's your girlfriend." Alice mused, but she still wasn't herself. Mark nodded, probably too confused by my sister's mood to utter a word. "Oh isn't that nice."Alice said in a sweet tone… but it sounded forced. "Well I gotta get going." She said finally after a minute of silence. I guess we were all wondering about my sister's behavior.

And with that Alice left, muttering something I couldn't quite hear. Something about things never being easy for her.

I guess the party stressed her, I sure hope so. I turned around and found both Bella and Mark looking at the place Alice had recently been occupying. They both had looks of shock and worry in their faces.

"She's probably stressed out because of the party, you know." I said, trying to explain to them, and myself, why my sister had acted that way. They both looked at me and nodded. Mark took a seat beside Bella and smiled.

"Besides Alice has never been one for normal behavior." He said and I smiled at him, as I said he always tries to lighten the mood. Bella smiled as well and took a hold of his hand. I felt like I needed to have another long sip of my drink after she did that, why I had to? Don't ask me, I have absolutely no idea.

Bella had taken a seat between Mark and me. They continued holding hands but Mark angled his chair so he was now looking at both Bella and me.

"Are you still moving?" Mark asked Bella. She was taking a sip of her drink while she nodded. She gulped the liquid down before answering verbally.

"Yes I am, next week." She answered. So she's moving with her father next week.

"Okay then, now we'll only be and hour apart!" Mark said and Bella laughed.

"Yeah but now we'll have nothing to do when you come visit." She pointed out and Mark grimaced. Where is she moving?

"You could always go visit me." He objected and Bella's face paled.

"In Charlie's cruiser?" She asked, clearly horrified. Mark nodded frantically, smiling goofily. What are they talking about, does she mean like a land cruiser? A PT cruiser? "Unlike you, I don't like to ride on my dad's police car." She noted, so his dad is a policeman. Mark laughed lightly.

"I've never even met your dad." He said. So they weren't really that serious, if he hasn't met her father yet. _Why would it matter anyways._

"You got me there." Was her response. "Besides I'll be too busy what with all the moving and new school and stuff, to really be able to go visit you." She noted. Then again, where is she moving?

"Oh well I'm sure Anthony here will be more than glad to help with the moving and the new school issue." Mark said. I looked up, having heard my name called. "Wont you, Tony?" He finished and I stared at him, confused.

"Bella is moving from Seattle to Forks, you'll help us with the moving out, wont you?" My friend asked again and I nodded. The thought of Bella moving to Forks, near to me made me happy, and I know it really shouldn't but I really like her. Not like her, _like _her, god no! She's Mark's girlfriend. But she's nice and funny, good to be around.

"Yep, sure." I said. So Bella is moving here, to Forks, and apparently she used to live in Seattle. No wonder Mark hadn't come visit at all, he was probably visiting Bella in Seattle. "I'll be glad to help" I added and I saw Bella smile at me.

"So it's settled, Anthony will help you move, along with me." Mark finished and Bella tore her gaze from mine to her boyfriend's. "You guys might even attend the same high school." Marks mused, pondering the possibility. I thought about it. Hmm Bella attending my high school, that'll be nice, we could hang out.

"I don't think so, I'll be attending Forks high, and this place is way too far away from town, I bet it's even nearer to La Push than to Forks." She noted and I laughed, partly because of her assumption but mostly because of joy. Bella was going to be at my high school, she was at my grade, we might even share some classes, especially considering the pathetic number of 326, and from next week on, 327 students that attended the school.

"Actually its nearer to Forks, but only by a couple miles." I noted and Bella laughed.

"So you attend Forks high?" She asked, not able to hide her enthusiasm.

"Yes." I said happily before I took a sip of my margarita. Bella smiled happily, the happier I had seen her smile all night, or so I think.

"I guess I won't be a complete stranger then." She said, still smiling at me.

"I guess not." I said, smiling back at her. Mark decided to interrupt then.

"Sure, Tony here can give you a tour of the place, he's lived here for a few years now." He said and I took another long sip of my drink before I nodded.

"Of course, any time." I said once I had swallowed all the margarita I had gotten in my mouth.

"Thanks." Bella said shyly.

"No problem." Was my response. Bella smiled warmly at me and then Mark brought their tangled hands up, playing with her fingers. She tore her gaze from mine and looked at him, a small smile on her lips. I decided it was time to subtly give them some privacy. Without them noticing, I rose from my chair and set my drink at the bar table. I walked all the way to the staircase and began to walk upstairs. I was outside my room in no time, I opened it and Topaz, my golden retriever, jumped out of my bed and into his, quickly pretending he had been there the whole time.

"You don't fool me buddy." I said sternly, although I had a smile on my face from my dogs little stunt. Topaz merely looked at me from the corner of his eye and pretended he hadn't heard me. I turned my stereo on and laid on my bed, mouthing the lyrics to the songs I knew and trying to memorize the ones I didn't. An entire hour later I got hungry, it was already past midnight so I figured most people would have left by now, I couldn't hear the music as loudly as before, indicating the party was coming to an end.

I left my room, leaving my dog asleep in my bed, and walked down the stairs. Once I was down I walked directly to the kitchen. None of my friends were here, or at least I couldn't see them, the party was still kinda packed, not as I had expected. I walked to the kitchen to find Jacob there.

"Hey Jake, where's Nessie?" I asked him. Jacob frowned and looked up at me.

"She left early… I have been looking for you, where were you?" He asked me in return.

"In my room… keeping Topaz company…" I trailed off, he got the point and didn't ask any further, he knows I'm a loner so it's not weird for me to hang out in my room at times.

"Sure, sure, loner, whatever makes you happy." He said, waving his hands, dismissing the subject. "Mark left to take Bella to her house, he should be back soon." He said.

"Oh, okay… I was wondering about that." I lied, the truth is that although I had noticed Mark wasn't anywhere to be seen I hadn't been thinking about his absence much. To be honest I had been thinking about Bella's absence.

"Yeah sure." Jake said sarcastically and I gave him a look that said 'you better keep it to yourself'. He smiled innocently and left his seat at my kitchen table. "I'm taking off now, be happy and I'll see you tomorrow." He said I nodded his way and said goodbye as well.

I poured myself a glass of milk and leaned against the countertop, sipping my milk absentmindedly. Mark arrived soon after and we hanged out till 3 o'clock. Once the music was turned off Alice joined us as well and the three of us talked about what we had done the past four months. Mark told us everything about how he had met Bella. Apparently he went to Seattle one day and bumped into her on the mall, he said he had thought she was pretty. So he followed her to the food court and lined up behind her in the subway. He pretended to have no one else to talk to and began to chat with her, he asked her out and she agreed instantly. So they went out, Mark driving all the way from Port Angeles every Friday, Saturday and Sunday just to be with her. They have been together for four months now, exactly the time we had spent apart from each other, and they agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend a couple weeks ago.

He was more than thrilled that Bella was moving here, that way they would be nearer to each other.

"So Mark, tell me, do you love her?" Alice asked. She was back to her normal self, or at least I think so. She isn't threatening Mark, or killing him with her glare.

"I don't know…I guess." Mark answered.

"No 'I guess' allowed." She pressed, a glint of some emotion I couldn't recognize in her eyes. Mark looked at her and said.

"I'm not sure." He said, clearly uncomfortable with the question. In any other situation I would have helped him, changed the subject. But right now I wanted to know his answer. It seemed to be something important to me, and I cant place the reason.

"That's practically an 'I guess' answer. Oh! Come on! Give me some light in here. Do you love her? And I want a straight, ground breaking, heart wrenching, whole hearted answer." My sister kept pressing. I felt the urge to stop Mark from responding, as if his answer might change something, break me.

Mark might be sweating cold from the intense gaze Alice was inflicting on him. He looked between my sister and me, and then opened his mouth and dropped his gaze to the table.

"Not yet." He said, still looking at the table. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest, like I could breath again. So I did, I released the breath I had been holding and nodded. Mark looked sheepish, he probably thinks he should love her by now.

"Its o-"

"We should go to sleep." My sister said, interrupting my sentence. I was about to tell Mark it was probably too soon to love her. But what the hell, he surely knows that already.

"Yeah, we should." I said as I took my glass to the sink and left it there. "It's late." I added while I walked out of the kitchen.

Mark followed suit and soon we were both in my room. He had always refused to use the guest room, he claimed my couch was much too comfortable. We changed and he went to the couch, after a five-minute argument about how he should get the bed. I walked to my bed and tugged myself in. I was replaying tonight's events in my head; meeting Bella, almost asking her out, Mark arriving as if on cue, me finding out about Bella and him, Alice acting bizarrely... I had the feeling that all this events were connected in a deep way, like they would be important to me from now on, but I didn't want to consider the possibilities now, it would only make me restless.

I quickly closed my eyes and waited for sleep to overcome me. It took a while but it finally did.

**A/N: Hope you liked it…please REVIEW they make me happy, and make me find free time to write.**

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	4. We Have A Deal!

**A/N: Woohoo! I had some free time…I'd just like to thank everyone that has either favorite, alerted or reviewed…you guys are the best! I'm sorry for not replying to any reviews last time…I was training, but today the ice rink is closed and I can't train…so I'm updating and replying to reviews…**

**I might update my other story as well…but nothing's for sure**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: So we should all know by now…I own nothing but the plot!**

**Edward POV**

I drove to Marks house, and from there we drove all the way to Seattle. It had been a week since I had met Bella, since I had found out Mark is her boyfriend, since I had last seen her. Mark had woken up the day after the party, bright and early to get ready for when Bella came. She did, about 6 hours after Mark woke up, something that made me laugh at him. Finally they left.

So we were now outside Bella's apartment in Seattle. Mark knocked the door in the same way he always does- three quick knocks and then a fourth one, louder, slower. Bella apparently knew that knock too because when she opened the door she was smiling, and instantly brought her arms around Mark's neck, hugging him and kissing his cheek. Mark merely laughed and hugged her back. I tried to look away, not only to give them some privacy, but because the scenario wasn't very pleasant for me.

"And it never gets old." He pointed out. I guess she always does that. Bella chuckled lightly against Marks shoulder, where she had buried her face after her kiss. She brought her head out to look at him and noticed me for the first time. She instantly pulled away and released Mark. He looked taken aback but quickly recovered. Bella then looked at me and smiled.

"Hi Edward, I never thought you'll come all the way here, it's quite far." She noted and I smiled.

"No problem, I wanted to help."I answer, and it's the truth Mark had said he could bring Bella's things to Forks and I could help unload everything, but I insisted in coming all the way here. I felt the urge to know where she lives, or rather lived.

"Thanks… well come on in, you boys want anything?" She asked kindly.

"No thanks, we just had breakfast." I said and Bella nodded my way and turned to look at Mark.

"Me neither, where are those boxes?" He urged and Bella laughed.

"They are in my room." She said, pointing a finger at her room for my benefit, because Mark was already walking towards it. I nodded and walked there. There were only a few boxes, about 15 medium-sized, definitely not what I expected. Mark began to look at the boxes and began to move some.

"Let's take all the big ones first." He said as he prepared himself to carry one, embracing the box as best he could. I laughed at him and nodded, carrying a box myself.

Hardly an hour later were we done loading all the boxes. Bella and her mother were saying good-bye while Mark and I waited by the car.

"Take care honey." Renee, Bella's mom said. I had just met her and even in such a short time I could tell she's quite childish.

"I will mom, you take care as well." Bella responded, hugging her mother with all her will.

"Call me the moment you're with Charlie." Her mother ordered and Bella nodded.

"Okay mom, love you."Bella said, releasing her mother.

"Love you too… see you soon." Renee hugged Bella one last time before she let her go. Bella smiled at her mother and turned to look at us, a longing but determined look in her eyes. Mark looked at Renee and smiled, walking towards her and opening his arms in a welcoming gesture, she laughed lightly and hugged him. "You take care of my girl." She said and Mark said something back, I couldn't hear it though. But apparently it made Renee laugh. "Sure, Mark, just take care of her." She said, rolling her eyes.

"I will Renee, don't worry." He said wholeheartedly and I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Bella smiled. Renee then looked at me and smiled.

"Bye Edward, thanks for helping my girl." She said, extending her hand for me to shake, it wasn't an awkward hang shake though, it felt sincere. "I'm glad she has such good friends." She added and I smiled.

"No, thank _you_, it's my pleasure" I saw surprise show through her face at the formal tone I used. She nodded and said good-bye, this time pulling me in for a small hug. After that we got into the car and I drove away, Mark in the passenger seat and Bella at the back. We rode in silence for a few minutes, with nothing but the music to fill the atmosphere.

"We could stop at Port Angeles for something to eat." Mark suggested. "It's getting quite late." He noted.

"Sure why not" I was getting quite hungry as well.

"Where should we go?" Bella asked, popping her head in between Mark and Me, I could see her hair by my face, mere inches from mine. The scent it had was purely amazing, like strawberries with some kind of flower, one I can't place. She was smiling, alternating between looking at Mark and at me. I smiled and shrugged.

"There are lots of places, where do you want to go?" I asked and she brought her index finder up to her chin, tapping lightly, contemplating the options.

"Hmm I don't know. Where do _you_ want to go?" She asked me and I shrugged once again, a smile plastered in my face. I don't know why, but the fact she is talking to me, me specifically, makes me happy.

"Okay, since Edward has no idea and I give a damn…" She trailed off and I laughed lightly. "Where do you want to go honey?" My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't quite breath. But neither Mark, nor Bella noticed my current state as they continued to gaze into each others eyes. Finally I managed to pull some air in and release it slowly.

"Hmm…we could go to the restaurant, by the mall." He offered and Bella nodded happily. Both of them completely unaware of my breathing problem.

"Yeah that's a good idea. Is that okay with you, Edward?" Bella asked me sweetly and I smiled and nodded. It's amazing how my mood changes so quickly.

"Sure, what's the restaurant's name?" I asked her and she looked back at Mark. He looked at us and told us the name, I hadn't been there, and it was new. Anyway after we arrived to Port Angeles I drove all the way to the mall and parked just outside of the restaurant.

I left the car and closed my door, ready to open the door for Bella. Mark had already done that by the time I got my hand near the handle. Bella smiled at me once she saw what I had tried to do. Mark took her hand and all three of us walked directly to the restaurant.

Once seated, the waitress came up to us.

"Hi I'm Hillary and I'll be your waitress today." She said, smiling kindly at Mark while she handed him his menu. I suppressed a giggle when Bella huffed as she handed her the menu. The waitress then turned to look at me and smiled, more than warmly, invitingly. Gah!

"I'll be happy to help with _anything you_ want." Did I just imagined the emphasis in the words 'anything'? And 'you'? Gah! Gah! And Gah! Again. I smiled at her out of politeness as I buried my face in the menu she had just handed me. "So, what would _you_ like?" She asked _me_, not Bella or Mark… me! Ugh!

"A Coke." I said curtly as I brought my menu to cover my face from her stare while I could still look at Mark and Bella, the first was too engrossed in his menu analysis to notice the flirting that was going on. Bella on the other hand had an amused look in her eyes, and seemed to be having a hard time not laughing. "What do you guys want?" I asked them, Bella smiled slightly when the waitress had to look away from me.

"Iced tea, please and… Mark?" Bella said, finally getting Mark's attention off of the menu.

"Uh..ah..um.. coke." The waitress wrote everything down and turned to smile at me. Me! Again!

"I'll be right back with _you_…" She said before she turned around and walked away. Once she was out of earshot I shuddered.

"Gah! Ugh! Gah!" I said as another shudder ran through my body. Bella looked at me and laughed, hard. I looked at her, amused she had found it the least bit funny. She looked at my face again and this only made her laugh harder.

"Sorry…it's just…your face… wh-when she said the last thing…. " She managed to say before laughter overtook her again. Mark was all but oblivious to our little chat; he kept looking at his menu, trying to decide.

"I guess it must have been funny." I allowed and she nodded frantically. I smiled at her and turned my attention back to my menu. "So what are you gonna order?" I asked her, she smiled before she lowered her gaze to the menu and looked through it quickly.

"Um… I'm not sure… I'm thinking the Caesar Salad?" Her tone asked for approval. I nodded. "How about you?" She asked me.

"Hmm… Spaghetti Alfredo?" I said, using the same tone she had used. She smiled warmly at me and nodded. "He hasn't even moved." I noted, looking at Mark, who was, at this moment, looking at his menu as if his food choice was a matter of life or death. Bella turned to look at him and then turned back to me, rolling her eyes. I was just staring at Mark, he looked so focused.

The waitress arrived with our drink, placing Bella's first and then Mark's in a hurry. She turned her entire body to me, she placed the glass in front of me, really slowly leaning her back. "You know what you want?" She asked me, her face level with mine. I think I gulped, but I can't be sure. Bella giggled though, so I must have. This brought the waitress's attention back to the task in hand. The waitress sighed and pulled back from her position in the table, something I was overly grateful for. "You ready to order?" She asked us.

"Bella?" I said, trying to get the waitress to stop looking at me. She did, turning for Bella.

"I'll have the Caesar salad, please." She answered, already turning to look at Mark. Without bringing his gaze up from the menu he said.

"I'll have the salmon, sweet sauce, fresh veggies as side dish, with just a little glaze and not overcooked." She nodded, writing everything down. I saw Bella roll her eyes at Marks specifications.

"How 'bout you?" The waitress…I think Hillary is her name, asked me.

"Spaghetti Alfredo for me, please." I said before I dropped my gaze to the table and gave her the menu. She took it and walked away. I sighed, relieved she was gone, for now at least. We chatted animatedly for a few minutes until I saw the waitress heading towards us, plates in hand. She handed them out without flirting…as much. She left and Mark dug in without much thought. Bella looked at her plate, then at mine and her brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"Is something wrong with your salad?" I asked her. She looked at me and shook her head.

"No its fine…its just, I should have ordered something else."

"Okay, let me call the waitress" I offered, already bringing my arm up so she would see it, not even thinking about the flirting looks and smiles I would have to endure, but only thinking of Bella's comfort.

"No, no, don't…its okay…" She said, reaching for my hand and pulling my arm down. I felt something, our hands fir together perfectly, it was like I didn't want to let go of her hand, not now, not ever. She released my hand as soon as my arm hit the table. Retrieving and placing it down the table. There was a moment of silence in which the only sound was Mark's chewing and swallowing.

"Okay, since you won't let me get the waitress, then, would you like to exchange?" I asked her once I found my voice again, pushing the plate towards her. That feeling, not wanting to let go of her hand, was new to me.

"No, _no_…don't worry it's fine, really." She answered.

"At least let me give you some of mine." I pressed. Bella bit her lip, looking at her salad and then at the spaghetti.

"Okay, a little…but only if you take some of mine." She decided, I nodded and pushed the plate towards her. She took the smaller plate that comes with the salad dressing and with her fork she took a little bit of my spaghetti.

"Oh come on… that's nothing!" I said once I noticed she wasn't planning on taking any more spaghetti. She smiled at me as she took a bit of spaghetti in her fork. She brought it up to her mouth and chewed, and instant smile formed in her lips and she nodded.

"It's good." She said before she brought a little more of spaghetti to her mouth. I smiled and brought my fork up, instantly tangling a little bit of spaghetti around it and bringing it up to my mouth. It was definitely good. I brought my fork down into the spaghetti again while Bella continued to serve spaghetti into her little plate. We continued like that, eating, occasionally talking and laughing. At some point Bella stopped trying to get spaghetti on her smaller dish and simply ate right out of mine.

I laughed mentally, this must look like a scene from a romance movie, the couple eating spaghetti, chatting and laughing. The only problem here is that we are not a couple, and her boyfriend is seating by her side, ravishing his food. Occasionally he'll look up, smile or comment something. After a few minutes the spaghetti plate was empty.

"So you only wanted a little?" I noted and she smiled and laughed lightly, blushing. Her blush made her look sweet, innocent.

"Sorry…And you promised to take some of mine." She noted as well and it was my turn to smile and laugh. We spent a few more minutes at the restaurant, Bella asked for her salad to be prepared as take out and we ordered the check. We left the restaurant, not without and incredible amount of flirting from the waitress part.

We headed to the car and drove all the way down to Forks. When we arrived it was already 6 in the afternoon, so we had an hour of light. I drove to Bella's house, following the directions she gave me. I parked and we all left the car and began to unload boxes. Bella stopped at the front door and retrieved a key from her pocket opening the door.

"Make yourself at home… I will as well." She said once we were all inside. Bella looked around, taking everything in, she looked happy. She snapped out of it and guided us to her room. It was small, but I knew Bella would organize everything, even in such a small space. We continued unloading boxes until 7 and then we merely sat at the living room, watching TV.

Bella excused herself and went upstairs to talk to her mother and to the bathroom. Mark turned the TV's volume up and looked at me.

"Anthony, I have to ask you something." He said, talking over the TV's volume. I turned to look at him and nodded. "Well, actually, it's more like a favor." He said, and he looked kind of sheepish. "Well, its just…that…well….you know I… have a…..sort of….tendency…"

"Spit it." I said, my voice louder so he could hear me over the show's voices. He looked at me and his eyes looked sheepish, apologetic.

"Okay… as you probably already know, Bella is nice… sometimes too nice for her own good." He began, where is this going? "She's pretty." _More like beautiful_, I corrected in my mind "She's selfless. I know I'm lucky to be with her… but I'm afraid some not-so-lucky guys may want her." He offered. Where is this going once again? Is he talking about me? Oh, god! No! Why would it be about me?

"I know Bella is independent…and very intelligent, but she sometimes needs a…" He trailed off, trying to look for the right word. "Savior,_ protector_." He said finally. Is he talking about school?

"If this is about school, don't worry, I'll help her, I'm sure everyone will like her." I said in a sincere tone.

"It's not that, what's got me worried, I know you'll help her." I stared at him, confused, my forehead furrowing. Mark sighed, looking for words to explain himself. "Maybe I'm acting out of selfishness, or maybe not… but I'm afraid some…guys, might like her…a little too much." He finally said. I nodded curtly. "Could you please look after her?" Mark asked. Me what?

"Mark, I don't think Bella would cheat on you… as you said, she's too nice." I noted but Mark was already shaking his head in denial.

"I know, I'm not worried about _that_… I'm afraid they'll take…advantage of her." I stared at him… advantage of her? "The first time I met her, she was _too_ nice… talking to a stranger, accepting an invitation from a guy she merely knew… and I'm not complaining about that… it's one of the things I like most about her." He kept talking as I tried to take it all in. "But it might…lead some guys to believe she likes them more than she really does… even _I'm _confused sometimes." _Tell me about it._ I thought sourly. Where did that come from?

"I know I'm asking too much… but could you just take care of her?" He asked me.

"Mark… I don't think she'll appreciate it very much." I offered.

"I'm not asking you to be her body-guard, but her friend, just… I don't know… be her protector." He finished. I was out of words, my friend was trusting me with the girl de lov-likes. I was touched.

"But Mark-" I began to say but he interrupted me.

"See it this way, you earn the best friend you could ever have and I earn the security she won't be hurt."

"I already have the best friend I could ever have." I noted, pointing at him. He chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"I'm your best friend, not _the_ best friend." He noted and I chuckled this time. "Okay then you'd earn the satisfaction of helping your best friend…" He offered and I laughed, I knew I would give in.

"Okay, Mark, Okay." I said, sighing in defeat.

"Do we have a deal?" He asked me, outstretching his arms towards me for a hand shake.

"Deal." I said before I shook hands with him in a seal-the-deal manner.

"Thanks." He said, already turning to the TV and turned the volume to a normal level again. I guess he did that so Bella wouldn't hear. She came back down a few minutes after our deal had been sealed. She offered to prepare dinner and went directly to the kitchen, I could hear the shuffling of pots, knives and the opening and closing of the fridge. Mark went to the bathroom and just when he closed the door a car parked at the driveway, a police car, I'm guessing her dad. I stayed put, in the seat I had taken in one of the kitchen chairs. Bella was too transfixed into whatever she was making to notice her father's arrival.

I heard the lock on the front door shuffling and the door opened. The footsteps that followed sounded tired yet anxious and with just a tad of urgency. In no time Bella's father was standing at the kitchen door. I was surprised to see Chief Swan, dressed from head to toe in his police uniform, I should have asked Bella for her last name. Besides I have no idea where Chief Swan lives…well know I do…but still.

"Bella?" Her father asked, she smiled and walked towards him, hugging him awkwardly. I guess they're not very close.

"I've missed you so much Char-dad." She said, her face apart from him.

"I've missed you too, I'm happy…you are …living here now." He said in a casual tone, trying not to show so many emotions.

"Me too… why don't you take a seat, dinner will be ready in a minute…" She said, turning back to work in her preparation.

"You didn't have to." He said.

"Oh, no I wanted to…we already agreed on this." Chief Swan smiled and turned to look at me, his smile vanished as he analyzed me. I felt the urge to run somewhere and hide, he kept staring at me, giving me the up down about four times.

"I'm guessing you're Mark." He said in a restrained tone and I couldn't do anything but stare at him in confusion.

"No dad he's not Mark." Bella said, I couldn't hear her rolling her eyes. "He's Anthony, Mark's friend." It was the first time she had ever called me Anthony. I couldn't help but notice how it sounded much nicer in her voice than in any other.

"Oh, okay, Nice to meet you." He said extending his hand for me to shake. I did.

"Nice to meet you too sir. " I said in my most respectful tone. He seemed to approve of it because he nodded and the frown in his face disappeared.

"Aren't you Dr. Cullen's son" He asked me and I nodded.

"Yes sir, I am." I answered. His eyes brightened and he nodded in approval.

"Please call me Charlie." He said, dismissing the formal speech with his hands and request, as if we were friends now, past the barriers of formality. I smiled slightly.

"Sure will sir-" I said, and then I saw Charlie's look. "Charlie." I corrected and he smiled. He was about to take a seat on a chair in front of me when Mark entered the kitchen, all but oblivious to what was waiting for him inside.

"Bella it smells delicious, wh-" Mark stopped midsentence once he saw Charlie standing a few steps away from him. His eyes widened slightly but he managed not to show just how nervous he really was. Bella decided to interfere.

"Mark this is Charlie, my father. Dad this is my boyfriend, Mark." She said, looking at the both of them. .

"Nice to meet you Charlie." Mark said, not realizing what he just said. I tried to hide my smile, but my mouth twitched at the corners.

"Nice to meet you too, and please call me _sir_." Charlie said in the same tone he had used when he thought I was Bella's boyfriend. I had to press my lips together, hard, to keep from laughing. This was amusing more than anything. Mark's faced showed nothing but surprise, his eyes regretful, sheepish and apologetic. Bella on the other hand was grimacing slightly.

"Sure thing, Char-sir." I couldn't hide it anymore, I buried my face in my hands in order to keep everyone from noticing I was smiling and giggling. It was so Mark, to dismiss any kind of formality, to go straight to the point. But this definitely wasn't the situation he was used to, meeting the girlfriend's father. I'm sure it went overly well with Renee… she is so free-spirited and I'm sure she called him "son" or "budy" the first time they met. Apparently with Charlie it was different.

But I couldn't help notice how Bella's father had reacted differently to me than to Mark, he asked me to call him by his first name while Mark wasn't allowed to. I guess it's only because I'm not his daughter's boyfriend, if I were I might not be allowed to call him Charlie. Nonetheless Mark was probably sweating cold at this very moment, while Charlie analyzed him.

"Take a seat, it'll be just a minute." Bella said, breaking the tense silence that had taken the kitchen. Just then did it occur to me.

"Do you need help with anything?" I asked Bella while both Mark and Charlie made their way to the table. Charlie looked up at me, surprised.

"No thanks, I'm fine." She answered, still focused in the food.

"Are you sure?" I wanted to help if I could. Mark was looking at his hands, probably trying to forget about what just happened. Charlie was still looking at me, not in a bad way, but I still felt his gaze. Bella turned to look at me and smiled.

"Positive." She said, before she took a bowl in between her hands and walked towards us. "It's all set." She said as she placed the bowl in the middle of the table, she walked towards the stove and brought another bowl to the table. She sat down and motioned for everyone to eat. We were all completely silent for a few moments, merely getting food on our dishes and eating it. Dinner passed with much conversation, the occasional compliment to Bella's food, and the usual awkward small talk. But Bella's food was really great, she could easily occupy second place in my favorites, only behind Esme, and Esme could beat professional-international chefs.

After dinner it was already 8:30 and Mark and I had to go. I waited in my car while Bella and Mark said good-bye in the porch. I was trying not to look at them, focusing my attention in the dashboard instead. I gave up and looked up to see Bella and Mark, they were hugging and looking into each other's eyes. Mark released her and kissed her cheek, saying something I can't hear or make out, and walking to the car. She waved and smiled. I revved the engine once Mark was inside of my car, mumbling a "lets go".

We headed to my house and went to bed early. The next day Topaz decided to get me up early, I got a leash on him and got my running pants on as well as a sweatshirt, it's probably cold outside. I left the house with my dog and returned a couple hours later, a little hungry. I entered the house, having left Topaz in the backyard, to find Mark on his way out. He was going to Bella's house to say good bye before heading back to Port Angeles.

Tomorrow is Monday, school day, and Bella's first day at Fork's High.

**A/N: GUYS SORRY FOR CUTTING THE CHAPTER SHORT…BUT I COULD HAVE KEPT GOING AND GOING AND I REALLY NEED TO UPDATE MY OTHER STORY, SORRY… but I'm pretty sure "Love on Ice" readers will agree with me, haha!**

_**This chapter's 'MUST-READ-FAN-FIC' suggestion is  
'Death's Sweet Touch' by bellaklutz2010  
(her other stories are amazing as well… specially 'The Secret Compartment' and 'Anything To Save You'…totally worth a shot!)**_

**Follow the arrow, Click and REVIEW!  
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	5. First Day

**A/N: HI! I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER…  
Also I would like to say that I'm so sorry for Stephanie's (Daddy's Little Cannibal) death. She was author to so many awesome stories; she was definitely one of fan-fiction's top-authors. No one will ever compare to her. I'll be doing a one-shot for a contest she and bronze-haired created, I'll tell you when it's up so you can check it out if you'd like to.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If only I owned Twilight… but I don't, so lets get over it!**

**Edward POV**

I woke up on Monday, took a bath, had breakfast, brushed my teeth, and arranged my schoolbag… pretty much everything you do to get ready for school. My sister was right behind me, having insisted on riding with me today. She entered the car and we both headed towards Bella's house.

"Alice, calm down!" My sister was literally bouncing with excitement in the passenger seat.

"How can you be so calm." She asked me and I rolled my eyes. I had offered to take Bella to school since she had no way of getting there, besides Charlie's police car, but I don't think she'd have liked that. Anyway, my sister was making a big deal out of it, she couldn't stop talking about how important this day was, what great friends Bella and her would be and how happy she was.

"Because, unlike you, I'm not mental." I answered. Alice kept staring at me like I was crazy.

"You just don't get what an important day today is." She noted and I had to suppress another eye roll. We were almost to Bella's house now and my sister kept talking like crazy.

"What's so important about today?" I asked her rhetorically, although I knew she would answer. My sister looked at me like I had just asked why it rains.

"It's Bella's first day!" She answered in a 'duh' tone.

"Aha… so? Everyone will like her." I said in the same tone. Alice smiled at me smugly, turning her face to the window and mumbling what sounded like 'exactly my point' or 'exactly what I hope for'. I think Alice is losing her mind... Finally we arrived to Bella's house and I pulled over at her drive way, she left her house almost instantly, running down to the car. She opened the backdoor and slide in before she greeted us.

"I'm sorry I'm late, good morning…. Thanks so much for the car ride, it's not necessary though I can ride on Charlie's cruiser… or walk." I could see she was really contemplating walking all the way to school. I wasn't about to let her walk her way to school everyday, especially when I could help her.

"Don't worry, its no problem, besides your house is only a minute away from the highway…" I noted and I saw Bella smile at me from the rearview mirror, I smiled to myself without even thinking about it.

"So Bella, are you nervous?" Alice asked and I rolled my eyes again. What a stupid question to ask.

"A little." Bella answered, but from how her voice sounded and the way it broke a bit I could tell she was really worried, not just 'a little'.

"Don't worry, they'll love you. Plus, you can always hang out with us." I offered and she smiled at me although I could still see some uncertainty in her eyes. I guess it's only to be expected, I had my sister to make me company when we came here, Bella has no siblings.

"Thank you." She said sincerely and I smiled wider and nodded, showing her there was no problem. A few minutes later we entered the school parking lot and I parked my car, I tried to open Bella's door but she had already opened it. She left the car, showing uncertainty, nervousness and worry with every move she made. Bella stared at the school buildings as if they would suddenly engulf and kill her.

"Bella, you'll _love_ it here." My sister said once I opened the car for her. Bella looked back at my sister, probably trying to believe her words, still her eyes showed disbelief. "Trust me, I'm Alice." My sister added and I rolled my eyes at her. She always sais things like that; 'I just…_know'_, 'Believe me, wear a coat', 'You and Jake will end up being great friends', 'this party is more important than you think', 'That iced-coffee will be a part of your rug if you don't stop… told you so' and about a hundred different things that somehow always end up being true.

"We should head to the office." Alice said and we all nodded, Bella still radiating nervousness. We began to walk towards the office, Bella in between Alice and me, when suddenly Alice stopped dead on her tracks and Bella did too, once she noticed my sister wasn't with us anymore. I turned around to find Alice and Jasper smiling at each other and cooing. I rolled my eyes. They always do that, actually I don't understand why Alice wanted to ride with me today; she usually rides with her boyfriend. Bella looked back at me, having been looking at the little couple. I looked at her as well.

"We've lost her… lets go to the office." I said. Bella looked once again towards Alice and smiled longingly, probably thinking of Mark. My stomach dropped slightly and I tried to look away to ease the feeling. I have no idea why these things keep happening to me, maybe I'm going crazy. Finally Bella looked back at me and nodded.

We walked side to side all the way to the office. The secretary gave Bella her schedule after welcoming her then we stopped outside the office- since it was still too soon for classes- comparing schedules.

"Looks like we have lunch together." Bella said in a relieved tone. I chuckled lightly, like you could _not_ have lunch together in this school! "Biology and…ugh! Gym?!" She said the last word as if it was a curse, I couldn't get why she did that. "I hate gym." She explained once she noticed my confused expression. I chuckled lightly once again and nodded.

"Your first class is Math with Alice… but since she's nowhere to be seen I can walk you." Bella shook her head gently.

"Don't worry, I think I can find my way." She said while she unfolded a map and looked at it, biting her lower lip. I just stared at her, I knew those maps were useless, this school was such a mess she would never understand it. She just continued staring at the map, concentrating hard, occasionally looking around her. She looked back at me after a minute, her face sheepish. "Okay, you can walk me to math." She sighed, defeated.

I smiled smugly and started walking; making sure Bella was beside me. We entered the school building and I guided her to what should be her locker from now on. She smiled at me as she opened it and got a few things inside before closing it. Then I guided her to her math class, Alice wasn't there yet. I turned to look at Bella.

"There you go." I said as I pointed at the door, she looked more nervous now.

"T-thanks." She still looked unsure. Just then the teacher came from behind her. I took that as my cue to introduce her.

"Mr. Douglass, good morning."

"Good morning Edward." He said.

"May I introduce you to Bella? She's a new student." I said as I gestured towards Bella. Mr. Douglass looked at her and smiled kindly.

"Nice to have you here Bella, I hope you like math." He said and I rolled my eyes freely since he wasn't looking at me, I mean who likes math! I know I like it, but its not my favorite subject. Bella smiled when she noticed my eye roll, and then looked at Mr. Douglass and answered.

"Yes I like math." She said sincerely… that or she was a good liar.

"Okay then, I'll see you later today Edward." He said. I nodded and mumbled a 'sure'. Then Mr. Douglass opened the door and looked at Bella. "Miss." He said just in time for the bell to ring. Bella said bye to me as she entered the room. I just stared at the space she had been occupying.

"Edward, don't you have a class?" Mr. Douglass said. That brought me back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm on my way." I said as I ran in my way to English. I think I heard Mr. Douglass laugh at me, but I can't be sure.

I made it to class just in time. Jasper and I shared this class but he was nowhere to be seen. I took a seat and sighed as I waited for the class to start and for Jasper to show up at any moment, but he never did. My next class was Math with Mr. Douglass, I arrived just in time to see Bella leave the room with Eric in tower, he was smiling at her as she simply nodded, a small smile on her face. I just stared at them, as they walked towards their next class, with a weird feeling in my stomach, until someone nudged me with their elbow.

"Edward, you coming or what?" Asked Jacob, I shook my head slightly and nodded.

"Yeah sure." I said as I entered the room. Math was the only class that the four of us have together, and by four I mean Jasper, Seth, Jacob and me. I took a seat in my usual spot and Jacob sank beside me.

"Hey man where's Jasper?" He asked. Jasper and I always arrived together for this class since we had English together. I shrugged and Jake nodded. Seth arrived a little after the bell, which was his usual behavior. He took a seat behind Jacob. Math passed rather slowly, mainly because I was wondering about Jasper and my sister. They probably decided to skip school today, or are making out in the janitors closet. I rolled my eyes at the last possibility, since that's probably what they're doing.

Math finished and I walked with Jacob and Seth towards the cafeteria. I told them I would get Bella outside of her class and walk her to lunch. I had just started walking in the other direction when I saw Bella, she was walking towards me, talking to Eric and Mike… well actually more like _listening _to Mike and Eric talk. She spotted me and she immediately walked towards me.

"How were your classes?" I asked her.

"Great, actually. Thanks."

"Bella are you coming to lunch with _us_?" Mike asked, tapping Bella's shoulder. She looked at him with a polite expression.

"Umm…" She said, biting her lip. Maybe she wanted to have lunch with Mike. Maybe I should tell her its okay to have lunch with him. Is this part of my job as _protector_? Am I supposed to keep her away from Mike? But what if she wants to go with Mike? Who am I to deny her such? But what if Mike tries to take advantage of her? God! Why wasn't Mark more specific!

"Actually Mike, Bella already agreed to have lunch with me…" My sister said from beside me. Bella smiled and looked kind of relieved.

"Yeah…um… sorry." She said to Mike and Eric. They looked disappointed, especially Mike, but they tried to hide it.

"It's okay, some other time." Mike said before he and Eric took off towards the cafeteria. Once they rounded the corner and were out of sight and earshot, Bella sighed in pure relief.

"Thank you _so_ much A_lice." _Bella said and Alice smiled and waved it off with her free hand, since the other was holding Jasper's.

"_No problem, lets go."_ My sister said as she and her boyfriend began walking in the same direction Mike had a minute ago. Bella walked beside me behind them. Once we entered the cafeteria we stepped in the line to get our food. I wasn't very hungry so I got crackers and a soda. Bella got and apple and lemonade. She turned around with her tray and asked us where we were seating.

"Over there." Alice said as she waved towards our table. Jacob noticed her and waved back along with Seth, who was seating with Marie. They were all seating at our usual table in the middle of the cafeteria. It's what you would call 'the popular table'. Bella's eyes widened slightly once she noticed which table we were seating at. "Come on Bella, lets introduce you." My sister said, taking a hold of Bella's hand and leading her towards our table, leaving Jasper and me behind.

"Where were you guys?" I asked Jasper, remembering his disappearance during the first two hours. I was still watching Alice drag Bella to our table.

"We walked around school, why?" He asked me back.

"I was just wondering …why were you walking around school anyways?"

"I don't know either! Alice simply came up to me and said we should skip school, I agreed, thinking we would do something cool instead, but then she said she needed to be here for lunch so we just walked around the school." Jasper answered. I frowned, why would Alice do that… but then again she's never done normal things.

I focused my eyes on Bella again as we walked to our table. Alice was introducing her to Seth and Marie. Bella looked positively uncomfortable; I guess being forced into 'the popular table' wasn't something many people liked. But I had never felt as if it _was_ the popular table. Sure Jacob was popular, along with Seth… but still I had never considered myself popular. Plus we had never done any of the things 'popular' high school guys usually do. I mean neither of my friends are players and none of my girl-friends are sluts. Actually they were all pretty paired together. Jake and Vanessa. Alice and Jasper. Seth and Marie, although that one isn't official just yet. I had always been the odd man out. They went out on dates together in which I was usually invited. They were such great friends they always tried not to make me feel uncomfortable. But being seventh wheel is never nice. Maybe now that Bella was here I wouldn't feel like such an intruder. I would have someone to talk to without feeling like I was interrupting their couple time. _Except when she's with Mark of course._

I took a seat and Bella sat by my side, I could tell she still felt uncomfortable but tried not to show it. Since I was probably the person she had known longer in the entire table I decided it was my duty to help her feel at home.

"How was math?" I asked her, she looked taken aback.

"Math? Um… it was nice?" She said-asked and I laughed lightly.

"Nice?" I asked her back and she blushed lightly, giving her cheeks a beautiful shade of pink.

"I mean, Mr. Douglass is a great teacher." She said before she took her apple off the tray and turned it around in her hand.

"Yeah, he is." I was thinking about something we could talk about.

"You know what would be a great idea?" Alice asked us then. Everyone in the table turned to look at her, even Jacob and Vanessa who had been cooing at each other…usually when they do that, no one, and I repeat _no one_ can get them to look away from each other. Alice stared at everyone, smiling and not saying a thing.

"What?!" Jake asked after a few seconds. Alice smiled mischievously.

"We should have an all-the group-movie-night this Friday!" My sister squealed excitedly. Everyone in the table either rolled their eyes or groaned. Bella seemed to tense for a second, maybe she thinks she's intruding…

"That's your great idea?!..." Seth asked and Alice nodded frantically, a goofy smile on her face.

"Love, it's merely Monday" Jasper groaned and Alice stared at him in shock.

"So? We have too little time to plan it!" She stated in a 'duh' tone.

"Okay then, where should we do it?" Jake asked. "It can be in my house, if you want to." He offered after a few seconds of silence. Everyone except Bella agreed. "Bella?" He called for her attention. She looked up from her apple and into everyone's gaze. "Will you come?" He asked her and his tone sounded completely sincere, not like one of those times when you ask someone to join you just because you feel the responsibility to do so. Bella seemed to catch that on his tone for the corners of her mouth pulled up slightly, not enough to make it a smile, but it was enough for me.

"Um…when?" She asked.

"This Friday, movie night at my place." He explained and Bella nodded before adding a 'sure.' Lunch's conversations flowed easily as it always does. Bella kept track of the conversation but she only commented if someone asked her. She seemed to be really shy, but she definitely hadn't been this shy when I first met her. Maybe it is the whole 'popular table' that is troubling her, I know I would feel uncomfortable, like any word I said could turn everyone against me. But I have to show her we aren't like that.

After lunch Bella and I walked to Biology. We entered the room and I went directly to my usual table. I sat alone since I wasn't about to be paired up with Jessica. Bella asked if she could sit with me and I told her it was okay. The teacher entered the room and the class was over in a second, or at least it felt that way to me. Once the bell rang Bella groaned and buried her face in the book that was resting on top of our lab table. I laughed lightly before I asked her what was going on.

"Gym…" She groaned curtly, I chuckled a bit more this time, taking her forearm and dragging her to our next class. She was forced into her uniform and into our class. They made us play soccer, me being in Bella's team. I tried to pass the ball to her as much as possible at the beginning of the game since I had noticed she wasn't able to get it herself. Then I noticed the reason she couldn't get the ball, she looked positively unsafe and unbalanced as she moved around, trying-or maybe pretending to try- to get a hold of the ball.

So after a few times of passing her the ball and Bella managing to stay away from it I decided to stop passing the ball to her. After gym we both headed to the parking lot, said good-bye to the gang and walked to my car. I unlocked the doors and opened the trunk to get my school bag in it. I turned around to get Bella's school bag into the trunk as well but she was already inside the car along with her schoolbag. I shrugged it off and entered the car myself.

"Edward?" Bella called my name in a tone that made her sound so vulnerable I had to resist the urge to wrap her in my arms. I turned to look at her instead, shifting in my seat. "Um… I was just… wondering…" She kept playing and looking at her hands as she talked. "D-do you guys really want me to join your 'movie night'? or was I asked out of mere politeness…" She finished in a blur, her words meshing together, making it hard to understand. It took me a while to catch what she had said and then to register it. She thought we didn't want her with us, that she wasn't welcome. Just as this sunk in she talked again " Because I don't want to intrude, and you guys seem close, its okay if you don't want me to-"

"Bella really, we want you there. You weren't invited out of politeness, we never do that. If we asked you to join us is because we want you to join us." I said confidently, cutting her off. Bella still looked unsure.

"But you guys are like…popular and stuff… are you sure I'm not intruding." She asked me again, chewing on her lower lip.

"You could never intrude, ok? And just give them a chance Bella, you'll see they're not like you think they are, they are all great…" I said truthfully and Bella smiled slightly.

"Okay, I'll trust you." She said and then she leaned back into the seat, seeming more relaxed. Just then my sister decided to join us, entering the car and motioning for me to accelerate. We were outside Bella's house in no time, she invited us in for dinner and we both agreed since we had no homework and I was eager to see what Bella would cook this time. We just hung out in her place while she made dinner and didn't let me help her. Alice was talking about which movies we should see this Friday.

"Maybe some scary movie, there's this one we haven't seen…" I offered. Alice seemed to think about it for a while as she stared at the empty space in front of her face. Suddenly her eyes focused again and she shook her head.

"No, it's too soon for a frightening movie." She said. Bella and I turned to look at her with confused expressions.

"We could watch it at night." I said but Alice was already shaking her head.

"I'm thinking a comedy… or maybe a romantic comedy…" She weighed and I rolled my eyes. "I'll choose the movie, don't worry." She finished.

Bella served dinner an hour or so later and we sat in her kitchen to eat. We talked during dinner about pretty much everything, from school to movies and actors. Once dinner was over Alice and I headed out.

"This was fun, we should do it again." Bella said.

"Totally." I agreed.

"You must come tomorrow to our house for dinner?" Alice offered and Bella smiled.

"Sure, I would love that."

"Okay then its settled." I closed the subject.

"Bye" Alice said, hugging Bella. "See you tomorrow Bella"

"Bye Edward." Bella said and I nodded. Just then she leaned closer and hugged me. I hugged her back immediately and I couldn't help notice how right it felt, it was… natural. She let go after a moment and looked me in the eye. "Thanks." She said before she let go of me completely and waved at Alice- who was already in the car- before entering the house. I turned around and walked to the car, a smile in my face. Once I was in the passenger seat I noticed Alice was looking at me. I asked what had gotten into her and she simply shook her head, waving it off with her hand.

"You'll find out soon enough…" She told me as I rolled my eyes at her.

**A/N: So how was it guys?! Did you like it? Tell me in a review!  
Don't worry guys, Edward will realize he's falling for Bella soon enough…**

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	6. Movie Night

**A/N: I'll just stop giving excuses for not updating more frequently… you know what I do…  
Anyway thank you for sticking with me guys! I love each and everyone of you in a friendly, non-stalkerish way…**

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to write this again?**

**Edward POV**

I parked outside my house and left the car, walking around it to open Bella's and Alice's doors. I opened them both and they stepped out, Bella thanking me and Alice nodding at me. As we walked towards my house I couldn't help remember how today had went. It was obvious Bella felt a little more comfortable in our table for she talked a bit more, but she still kept a lot to herself. Another thing that's pretty obvious is how Mike and Eric swoon over Bella, not that I can blame them- I had once swooned over her… _that was before finding out she's dating my best friend_. Still Bella is quite a catch so it's to be expected, that's why Mark asked me to take care of her…

We reached the door and I took my key out, turning it in the lock and holding the door open for my sister and friend. They both stepped in and I noticed Bella stayed by Alice's side.

"Mom!" Alice's voice echoed through the house and in a second Esme answered.

"In the kitchen darling!" Alice took off instantly towards the kitchen, leaving Bella and me behind.

"Come on Bella." I said motioning for her to follow me to the kitchen. Bella obliged and walked beside me and into the room. Alice was standing at Esme's side smiling at her while she stirred the soup.

"Hi Esme." I said happily and she shifted her gaze from Alice and into me, smiling before looking at Bella and smiling wider. "This is Bella. Bella, my mother." I introduced them Bella took a step closer and Esme dropped the spoon she had been using to stir and engulfed Bella in a hug. Bella seemed surprised by the hug but returned it anyway.

"I'm very glad to meet you Bella. My kids here wont stop talking about you, 'Bella this' and 'Bella that'. It's nice to put a face to the name." My mother said all in one breath. Bella smiled and nodded.

"It's nice to meet you too Ma'am." She said, taking a step away from Esme and near me.

"Oh no! Please don't 'Ma'am' me, it sounds like I'm a creepy old lady. Call me Esme instead." Bella nodded once again before talking with a smile on her face.

"Ok, Esme then."

After that Esme informed us dinner would be ready in an hour, so we had a lot of free time in our hands.

"Hey Bella, want a tour of the house?" Alice asked. "I know you already know the living room and pretty much all the ground floor, but hey, what else is there to do?" My sister asked rhetorically and Bella nodded.

"A tour would be nice." She agreed and my sister clapped her hands in enthusiasm.

"Edward give Bella a tour." Alice pretty much ordered and I raised one eyebrow at her tone. She seemed to catch what I meant for she added. "I'm gonna help Esme." I nodded and Bella and I started walking around and up the stairs.

"My dad's office… Alice's room… The media room… The gym… My parents' room…" I said as we walked past doors and I opened them, showing Bella the inside shortly. After that we took the stairs again for my room. "These are the guest's rooms." I said, merely opening the door. Bella nodded and we both turned around to my room. "Well this is my room." I said, opening the door a little for Bella to peek inside. She did and then she smiled and pushed the door slightly to open it further. She looked around the room, after a few seconds she stepped outside the room and allowed me to close the door.

I smiled at her and we both headed to the stairs. Once we were downstairs I guided her to our backyard. "We'll this is pretty much the last part of the tour… unless you want to see our garage, but I highly doubt that." Bella smiled and chuckled lightly while she walked past me and stopped beside's the glass door that connected the backyard.

"It's okay… your house is like a mansion…"She mused and I chuckled at her while I walked near her to open the door.

"Come on, it's not that big." I objected and I heard Bella huff, something that only made me laugh harder as I slid the door open.

"Not _that_ big… it's like a freaking neighborhood, all melted together in one building…" She said, moving her hands for emphasis. I laughed harder at this and shook my head.

"You're being absurd." I noted and she huffed once again as she stepped into the backyard.

"Whatever…fool yourself." She said in a resigned tone once she was outside. I took a step outside and whistled lightly. Bella turned to look at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What was that for?" She asked, obviously referring to my whistling. I simply shook my head and laughed at her. Suddenly Topaz came running up to me, he reached me and jumped so his paws were resting on my chest.

"Hi buddy." I said as I scratched his ear and Topaz leaned his head slightly towards my hand, urging me to keep scratching. I retrieved my hand from his head and his paws from my chest and he sat in front of me, looking at Bella. I ventured my gaze towards her. Bella's face showed a good amount of surprise as her lips' corners pulled up into a small smile. She had eyes for nothing but my dog. "How did you do." I asked Topaz as I scratched the top of his head. Bella took a step closer to Topaz and me.

My dog turned his head around to look at her and she smiled nervously. "Does it bite?" She asked me and I shook my head instantly.

"Never… he's a goof." I said as I continued to scratch Topaz' ears, he was still looking at Bella while he panted happily, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. Bella nodded in acknowledgement but didn't make a move to get closer to us.

Then Topaz looked back at me and at Bella, never stopping his panting and his tail wagging. After a few times of switching between looking at Bella and at me he stared at me, silently asking for permission. "You're free to go buddy." I said as I removed my hands from his ears and nudged him towards Bella who was standing awkwardly a few feet away.

Topaz turned around and walked the few steps towards Bella, she looked a bit nervous while she outstretched her hand for Topaz to smell. He totally ignored her hand and simply pounced on her, tackling her to the ground and licking everywhere he could reach. I panicked minutely when I heard Bella squeal but then I heard her laughing, the hardest I had ever heard her laugh. The sound somehow made me happy. I ran to them and got Topaz off of her.

"Topaz, leave her alone…I'm sorry, he's usually not like this… he most really like you." I said as I offered Bella my hand to help her get up. She accepted my hand but instead of lifting herself up she pulled me down with her, causing me to fall on the floor beside her.

"That's for not telling me your dog is as strong as a bear." She explained and I laughed while I moved so I was now sitting by her side. Topaz was sitting right in front of us, looking at Bella, his tail wagging. "And you…Topaz right?" She looked at me for confirmation and I nodded, smiling to myself while I watched her enjoy herself. "You Topaz, seem like a very big, strong and happy dog." She said as she extended her hand in front of herself to scratch the dog's head. Topaz took a step closer and rested his head in my lap while Bella continued to scratch his fur.

We just sat there in silence as Topaz rested on top of me and Bella scratched his fur. After a while Alice appeared at the door.

"Dinner is ready you two." She said announced happily. Bella smiled and stood up in less than a second, leaving Topaz and me behind. My dog didn't seem to like it very much because he groaned quietly. I laughed as I pushed him off of me and stood up myself.

"We'll be right back…" I said to Topaz and he simply stood up and walked towards Bella. She kneeled in front of him and scratched his head.

"I'll see you later, ok?" She said and Topaz whined once again. "You're so cute." She said sweetly before she stood up completely and walked with me to the entrance. Topaz just stared at us with his sad expression.

"Your dog is the cutest little thing." Bella noted and I laughed at her comment. "I think he's even cuter than you…" She trailed off and my breath caught in my throat. Bella thinks I'm cute? _No Edward, she thinks your dog is cute._ But she just said… _She's Mark's girlfriend anyway… _That last thought made me feel sick to my stomach and I simply don't know why. I tried hard to keep my breathing steady so Bella wouldn't notice my current situation. I looked at Bella from the corner of my eye, she was looking back at me with an emotion I can't place in her face.

"What is taking you so long?!" Alice asked from behind us, breaking the silence. Bella jumped at the sudden sound and I took advantage of the opportunity to look away and turn towards Alice.

"Topaz…" I tried to explain and Alice nodded, looking at Bella. She took Bella's hand and guided her to the bathroom so she could wash her hands. I just stood there, looking back at Topaz through the glass door as I cleared my mind from these thoughts. I quickly headed to the bathroom and washed my hands. When I arrived at the table everyone was already sitting down and chatting animatedly.

After we were done with dinner we just sat in the table, talking about school and other stuff.

"Have you liked school so far?" Alice asked Bella and she nodded immediately.

"Sure, everyone's very nice…" Bella added.

"Aren't they?" Alice said happily and Bella laughed. "Poor Topaz is all alone outside, lets go with him." Alice added and Bella and I agreed since we had nothing else to do. The three of us walked outside with Topaz. He immediately ran to us and tackled Alice. "You, big goof, get off of me!" She squealed as I laughed and Bella smiled sympathetically. Topaz left her alone after a while and Alice stood up and looked at me. "Why does that _always_ happens to me?" She asked rhetorically and I shrugged and helped her get up. Just then Topaz returned with a ball in his mouth and looked at us happily. "I think big bear wants to play ball…" Alice noted and I shook my head… wasn't it pretty obvious.

I kneeled in front of him and asked for the ball, which he gave to me. I threw the ball away with one swift movement and then Topaz was running after the ball at full speed. A few second later he was back, tail wagging frantically and ball in mouth. Bella came up to me and asked me if she could throw it this time, I told her it was okay.

"Give me the ball sweety…?!" She ordered Topaz, but it sounded more like a question. Topaz just stared at her and teased her, coming closer to her but not giving her the ball. "Please?" She asked the dog again while Topaz walked over to her and dropped the ball on the ground in front of Bella, but just before she got a hold of the ball he took it back and ran away. I couldn't control my laughter this time.

"Give her the ball Topaz…" I warned him. He just stared at me and walked towards Bella and gave her the ball. "Good boy." I approved. Bella smiled once she had the ball in her hand and then she looked at me, uncertainty in her eyes.

"I don't think I can throw it as far as you do…"

"It's okay, just try your best… he probably won't go after it anyway…" I said, trying to sooth her.

"Why wouldn't he?" She asked me.

"He doesn't like strangers throwing his ball…" I explained and Bella smiled and nodded. I watched as she prepared herself and then threw the ball with what appeared to be a lot of force and too little technique. She moved her arm too forcefully so she lost her balance and fell. Topaz took that as his call and immediately started licking all over her arms and face while Bella giggled. I helped her up, asking her if she was ok. Once she was on her feet again I went for the ball- since she hadn't thrown it far way- noticing in my way back that Alice had left us alone. I arrived and gave the ball to Bella, who took it with uncertainty.

"I don't think this is my thing…" She said, handing me the ball back.

"Come on, just try it one more time."

Bella looked uncertain and this time she threw the ball with a little less force, managing not to fall this time. Surprisingly enough Topaz ran the little distance she managed to throw the ball and caught it. I watched with amusement as Topaz ran back to us and handed the ball to Bella happily. She smiled and took the ball from him, scratching his ear in the process. She threw the ball and Topaz ran once again.

"I think he likes you…" I said and I heard Bella laugh lightly.

"You like me cutie?" She asked my dog once he brought the ball back.

*******

"Brought chips!" Marie announced as she walked into Jakes house and propped herself on top of the sofa, besides Seth. It was already Friday and we were at Jake's for our movie-night.

"Popcorn." Jake said as he walked into the living room and handed Seth a big bowl of popcorn and Alice another before settling himself in the loveseat, Vanessa-who was holding a third bowl of popcorn- walked immediately up to him and sat by his side, leaning against his chest.

"Jake, where can I get a bowl for the chips?" Bella asked him and Jake told her where she could. I watched as Bella walked towards the kitchen, the bag of chips in her hands and I couldn't help thinking about all the progress she had made in merely a week. She opened more to us-the group- everyday; she talked more at lunch and sometimes even started a conversation. I could tell she felt at ease with the guys, or at least she didn't feel uncomfortable anymore. All of my friends liked her a lot and she appeared to like them back.

Bella came back into the living room a minute later with a new bowl of chips in her hands. She sat down on the floor by my side and handed me the bowl before opening her coke and taking a sip. Mark had told her he would come to Forks tomorrow, so she decided to come to the movie night alone.

"What are we watching, Alice?" Marie asked.

"We are watching…" My sister trailed off, handing Jasper the bowl of popcorn she had been holding and taking her purse from the table. She opened it and everyone turned to look at her in anticipation. Alice slowly brought one hand into her purse and quickly retrieved the DVD box "Scooby Doo!" She squealed excitedly and I rolled my eyes. It was fine with me, but I don't think the guys will appreciate it.

"Okay" Seth said before he ate a handful of popcorn.

"Cool." Vanessa said happily and I knew Jake would be fine with the movie instantly. He would watch 'The notebook' a hundred times if Vanessa wanted.

"I've never watched that movie." Bella announced with a smile on her face.

"I know." Alice said simply and everyone turned to stare at her. Bella was looking at Alice with a surprised expression. How could she know Bella had never seen that movie? Alice looked at all of us nervously and then added. "Isn't it cool..?" Alice said. Everyone got what she had meant and Bella relaxed. I don't trust her though…

"Okay, then lets watch this thing." Jasper said. Alice smiled as she pushed a few buttons on the DVD and the TV before inserting the CD and pushing 'play'. She then walked to the light switch and turned the lights off, immediately walking over to the couch and sitting on Jasper's lap. The movie started, the WB logo appearing in the screen.

A minute or so after the movie had started I watched as Seth handed Bella the bowl of popcorn and Marie took the bowl of chips from me. I turned to look at Bella, as she received the bowl and placed it on top of her legs. I brought my focus back to the movie, trying to concentrate in how their plan went wrong 'as usual', but I simply couldn't stop peeking at Bella from the corner of my eyes.

Every expression she made draw me to her, from the way her face saddened when Scooby asks if he should quit, to the adorable sympathetic expression when Shaggy said 'friends don't quit'. I almost laughed when she grimaced at the screen when Shaggy covered his burger with chocolate. Everything she did pulled me in and I don't know why I can't stop looking at her.

But this has been happening during the whole week, whenever she makes a clever remark or when she backtracks a joke. I ache to be near her all the time, and whenever we're together she makes me laugh and smile more than all my other friends together. The problem here is why she does that. I can't seem to place the reason why I like being with her so much, maybe it's the fact that I know I'm not intruding into her couple time, since I know Mark is far away or maybe-

I was brought out of my train of thoughts when Bella laughed lightly at something Scooby did. I looked at her discreetly; she was smiling at the movie as she held the bowl in her hands, eating some. I decided a good way to focus back on the movie was if I ate some popcorn. I reached for the bowl and retrieved a handful, popping a few on my mouth and chewing while looking at the screen, trying to focus on the scene that was playing.

But it was of no use, just when the movie was starting to get my attention again my hand touched Bella's on top of the bowl. My hand felt weird, like an electric current had passed through it. Bella's hand-however stopped for a split second but then kept moving like nothing had happened, reaching for more popcorn. _Maybe she didn't feel it…_

I moved my hand into the bowl once I saw Bella's was out of the way. I tried to relax. What just happened was just because of the fact that I wasn't expecting it, surely Bella expected it… that's why she only stopped her hand briefly. Yeah that's it.

I brought my focus back to the movie, trying hard to get caught in the story. They had already entered the castle and I watched the screen with all my will… more like willing myself to watch nothing but the TV. I was finally back on track when Bella laughed-hard- and threw her head back at something Fred said to Velma. I can't remember what it was, I simply couldn't take my eyes off of Bella. She was laughing and she looked so beautiful. I always loved it when she laughed or smiled, even if it was a small smile. Her laughter was the most beautiful sound in the world, it simply made me feel content.

Just then Bella looked back at me, a smile on her face while she shook with the remains of her laughter. She stared at me for what could have been half a second but to me it felt like years. Then she smiled wider and turned to look at the TV. A few more seconds passed when she laughed again, then she laughed even harder. I turned to the screen to see what was so funny. I saw Scooby being held back by what appeared to be sausages. I pretended to laugh since that's what everyone else was doing.

"This is hilarious." Bella commented and everyone just laughed a little more.

During the rest of the movie I couldn't concentrate. I kept glancing at Bella every once in a while and I couldn't stop thinking about her. How close she was to me and how she was enjoying the movie. I couldn't get her out of my head. How she wore that adorable worried look when they said Scooby would be sacrificed. Or how she laughed so much tears were pouring out of her eyes at the part when Fred and Velma have to dance with the monsters. Or how she went all 'aaw!' when Shaggy talks to Scooby about being his best friend.

After the movie was over everyone stood up and stretched out.

"Should I even ask Alice?" Seth asked rhetorically.

"Nope- When have I brought a movie with a sequel without bringing part 2…" She said happily as she moved the movie case frantically while she walked towards the DVD. We all settled ourselves and the movie started. No one complained for they were more into each other than into the movie. Bella yawned lightly as she placed the bowl on the table and opened another can of coke. She sipped the liquid and swallowed before she leaned against my side lightly and rested her head on my shoulder. I stiffened immediately, but I couldn't deny how right it felt.

"Don't you love how Shaggy sais 'like' in almost every sentence?" She asked us and I chuckled, I had noticed that the first time I watched it. "You can lean back on me if you want… I was getting a bit numb." She allowed me and I nodded curtly, leaning a little against her. She shuffled again, taking another sip of her coke. "What is this one about?" She asked us all and I shrugged, not wanting to ruin her fun. Alice stifled a giggle and answered Bella's question.

"You'll just have to wait and see…" My sister said. The movie started and we all returned our attention to the screen. I was overly aware of Bella's side pressing against mine and of her head barely laying on my shoulder. I felt the urge to wrap my arm around her, but I decided against it, it might be awkward.

"Aww… Scooby's got a fan club… and they want him to--sniff their butt…?" Bella commented and everyone laughed at her confused tone in the last part of her statement.

"Why won't Velma go with him on a date?" Bella asked rhetorically.

"Because maybe if you don't go on dates with people you merely know your life and everyone else's would be much simpler?" My sister asked her back and Bella moved slightly to look at Alice.

"But if you don't give it a chance you'll never know what it could be like." Bella objected and Alice opened her mouth to fire back, but then she stopped herself, she closed her mouth and smiled slightly.

"Bella, just do me a favor. Remember you said that _yourself, _later on ok?" My sister asked and Bella shrugged, mumbling an 'okay' that sounded more like a 'sure freak'. Anyway Bella turned back to the TV and leaned against me once again. We watched the entire movie in what appeared to be years as I tried to resist the urge to engulf Bella in a hug. The movie finally ended and Bella moved away from me and I instantly felt like something was missing, I wanted her against me once again. She stood up, helped clean up and thanked everyone.

Once we said good-bye we left Jake's house. I was driving Bella home and Alice was getting a ride with Jasper. I opened the door for Bella and she swiftly entered the car.

"You had fun?" I asked her.

"Of course I had fun, those movies are hilarious." Bella said enthusiastically and I chuckled at her.

"Sure they are."

"And the guys are so nice to me, they make me feel welcome…"She added.

"Told you." I reminded her just as I pulled over at her drive way. She smiled at me and took her seatbelt off. She turned to look at me and then she leaned closer and hugged me.

"Thank you… for everything. See you tomorrow." She said before she left the car and entered her house. I shook my head to clear it and drove away and to my house.

**A/N: Hope you liked it…  
*If anyone tells me in a review or PM what Fred said to Velma in the castle that Bella found so funny, he/she will get an exclusive preview at whatever he/she wants to know about this story (except the obvious 'how will they get together' question)**

***You should totally follow Peter Facinelli in Twitter so he can win a bet and we get to see a really funny video… just do it ok?**

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	7. Arrangement

**A/N: Yay I'm back…no I haven't given up, and I never will… I just haven't had a lot of time to write… but now I'm back and 'Love On Ice' is next! Woohoo!**

**Enjoy the chapter…hope you like it!**

**Edward POV (Big surprise…isnt it?")**

Alice and I were hanging out in Bella's house a Wednesday after school, we had absolutely no homework and Esme had some of her friends over at our house. Bella had, oh so kindly, invited us over for lunch, something that had become a three times a week tradition. We would simply hang out, eat and do our homework before Alice and I headed back to our house. Bella was happy to have someone to keep her company and to cook for, Esme was happy to have some free time, but mostly to see her son and daughter make such a great friend. Charlie was ecstatic; he would come into his house only to find the three of us talking about something completely irrelevant and laughing about it. He would join us while he had dinner or he would simply sit and watch us ramble on about some teacher at school or a new movie that was coming out.

But I believe that if there's anyone who's happy about this arrangement, that's me. I love spending time with Bella, she never ceases to amaze me, and just when I think I know what's coming next she says something completely different to what I had been expecting. She has been living in Forks for almost a month now and by this time she's completely at ease with the gang. They love her and she loves them back, the girls, my sister especially, won't stop gushing about how cool Bella is and how they should go shopping soon.

It seemed that everything had worked out for the best, now that Bella is here, not only did I make a new amazing friend, but I regained my best friend. Mark visits every weekend and he and I hang out just like in the old times… only now Bella is there with us. I feel very protective of her, and even when she's with Mark I can't help but feel the need to snatch her right from his arms, it's almost like I'm jealous. But I can't be jealous; they are my best friend, and his girlfriend.

"Edward…? Aren't you hungry at all?" Bella's voice asked. That was enough to pull me out of my reverie. I quickly focused back on my sister and friend and then on my plate, still full of food. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I am." I said, quickly as I reached for my fork and prepared to eat.

"We lost you there for a while." Bella noted as I stabbed a piece of lasagna, taking the chunk of food to my mouth. I nodded, aggravated that I had been lost in my thoughts for so long. My sister smiled as she continued to eat. I tasted the lasagna and it was heavenly.

"This is great Bella." I noted as I pointed to the lasagna with my fork. Bella blushed and mumbled her thanks, just then someone knocked on the door. I tried to get up to answer the door but Bella beat me there. She smiled at me before heading to the front door.

"Who is it?" She asked, trying to peek through the eyehole in the door. The truth is it was out of her reach, even standing in her tip toes.

"Me. Starving. Must. Eat. Now!" Someone said from the other side of the door. I had never heard that voice before but apparently Bella had because her whole face lighted up at the sound.

"Emmett?" She asked, disbelieving, desperately trying to peek through the eyehole.

"No. Emmett… But. Starving. Creature." The same robotic voice said. Bella immediately reached for the door knob and opened the door, throwing herself in the stranger's arms.

"Oh! Emmett. I've missed you so much!" She squealed happily while she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his in her waist, lifting her up. She pulled back and kissed his cheek for a long while, finally pulling away with a loud 'muack' sound. They smiled at each other while he pulled a strand of hair out of her face and placed it behind her ear. She kept smiling and he kept her off of the ground. By this time I was so confused I couldn't even move.

"Me. Too. Now. Please. Feed. Me" He finally said, in the same robotic voice he had been using, separating the syllables.

"Asshole…" Bella said, pushing herself off of his embrace and playfully smacking his chest. "Come on in, we're just having dinner…" She said, taking his hand and pulling him towards the kitchen.

"." The guy said, still separating the syllables. As he walked over to me I noticed for the first time how big he was. He was at least 8 inches taller than me and he looked like a weight lifter.

"Shut up!" Bella said before they reached me and I pondered briefly the idea that Bella shouldn't piss this guy off… "Emmett this is Edward, he's Mark's Anthony." She said gesturing to me.

"Mark Anthony?" He asked her, smiling at how it sounded.

"No Emmett… Mark'_S_ Anthony" She said, emphasizing the possession.

"Mark's what?" Emmett asked her, confused.

"Anthony…remember? His best friend?" She remarked.

"Bella, sweety, I don't remember half of what Mark says… besides I've seen him, what? Three times? Come on I barely know the guy and you expect me to know who his 'Anthony' means?!" Emmett said calmly. Bella frowned slightly before talking.

"You're right…but still Mark talks about Anthony-Edward- a lot, you ought to remember something…" She pressed while Emmett just shook his head.

"Nothing at all…" He admitted. Bella scowled full force before sighing.

"Edward this is Emmett, my best friend." She said happily once again. I smiled and we shook hands, well he shook mine because mine went limp once I saw his muscles flex. I faintly heard Alice chuckling behind me.

"Am I hallucinating or does it really smell like lasagna." Emmett said once he let go of my hand. Bella laughed and nodded. "Is it real-authentic Bella Swan's lasagna? Or is it some crappy processed lasagna wanna-be."

"It's authentic." Bella conceded, already walking into the kitchen and grabbing a plate for Emmett.

"Well, in that case fill my plate to the brim…" He said, taking a seat by my side in the kitchens table. Bella laughed lightly and filled his plate up.

"There you go…" She said as she placed the plate of food in front of him. Emmett's eyes lighted up, he looked like a kid who had just been handed a big chocolate bar.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." He said, never taking his eyes off of the lasagna and quickly digging into it. Bella sat back down and introduced him to Alice, they exchanged greetings but he wouldn't take his eyes off of the plate. I peeked at Bella and found her looking adoringly at Emmett, almost like a mom looks at her child, she couldn't wipe that smile from her face. We continued eating and Emmett even asked for seconds.

"God I don't think I could eat anything more." Emmett said, leaning back into his chair and rubbing his belly. Bella laughed as she took the dishes away. "Maybe some authentic Bella Swan's minty white chocolate brownies could change my mind." He hinted and Bella's face dropped.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, there's no white chocolate here, but next time you come visit I promise I'll make some white chocolate brownies…" She said, obviously sorry she couldn't give her friend what he wanted.

"Oh…okay… don't forget the mint though… that's what makes them the best." He did sound like a child.

"I promise I wont." She vowed, her smile renewed in her face.

"And next time I come…would you make pizza-pasta?" He asked, going all doe eyed. Bella looked at him and nodded.

"Sure I will, just call me a day before you come so I have time, ok?"

"Done." Emmett said, rising from his chair, walking towards Bella and kissing her hair. "It feels like an eternity since I last saw you, I swear to god nothing is the same without you…" He said sweetly.

"I know honey… and I miss you too, I really do… but Forks is nice and I get to see Mark much more often." She said, biting her lip. As soon as the last word was out of her mouth Emmett huffed.

"I know… but… Rose and I…lets just say that you stopped lots of our fights with your serenity or I don't know…. The point is we've been fighting a whole lot more since you left…" He finished sadly, Bella turning to face him with a sympathetic smile on her face. I took that as mine and Alice's cue to give them some privacy. I walked to my sister and nodded towards the living room. She followed me out of the kitchen but we never made it to the living room since she immediately pulled me aside and motioned for me to stay quiet. I strained my ears and heard Bella talk.

"Its not easy to be away from your best friend…I had never been away from her for this long…she's probably as freaked out as I am. Its not you, it's her, it's me… it's everything that has changed."Bella reasoned with Emmett and although I couldn't see her face I could tell from her voice that she misses her best friend.

"You should come back to Seattle…"Emmett suggested softly.

"I'm going next week to visit."

"Going to visit? You used to visit this place and live in Seattle! …you always said you hated this god forsaken little town…and now you're all up for the boring town of Forks?!" He asked her loudly enough for me to not strain my ears any longer. It was no news to me that Bella hates this town, it's everything she is not, it's boring, cloudy, rainy, dull, and of course unexciting.

"Forks is my home now darling…" She pleaded him to understand. I wanted to go in there and stop Emmett from hurting Bella anymore. "I've been seeing Mark a lot more."

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry…it's just I've missed you too much… I didn't mean it like that…" He said softly. I heard Bella sigh and then a long silence followed.

"You know what? Why don't the two of you and the whole bunch come visit in two weeks, I'll make white chocolate brownies and a lot of pizza pasta… You can even stay for the night and I'll make special muffins for breakfast…" Bella offered in a small voice. I could tell she was trying to sooth Emmett.

"That sounds nice, I'll let them know " He said, equally sad, but somewhat cheered up with this new plan. "People here seem nice."

"Yeah, they are. Especially Edward and Alice, maybe I'll invite the whole gang to the reunion, that way you can get to know each other." Bella threw in.

"I would like that, so you like it here?" He asked, defeated.

"I'm more like _okay_ here, you know things with Mark are going real smooth" She offered.

"Yeah_, real smooth, _I bet you haven't said 'I love you' yet." Emmett said so softly I could barely hear it, after that there was nothing but silence for a minute or so. I wasn't able to hear anything more because my sister grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the living room. I was so curious as to the answer Bella would give Emmet that I tried to resist, but then my common sense kicked in and I let Alice drag me.

She sat down on the couch and I sat next to her. I noticed her face was full of excitement but that her expression reflected calm, she was trying to hide it. I sat there looking at the empty space in front of my face, thinking about what had just been said. Bella's silence signaled the fact that Mark hadn't tell her he loves her and she obviously hadn't say it either. This was huge they have been dating for almost five months now and they've agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend, why wouldn't they tell each other 'I love you'? Maybe they think it's too soon for that, or maybe they just don't feel it yet. Either way Bella's silence had been somehow comforting.

I was pulled out of this train of thought by Alice's voice. "Yeah, I think Seth is going to pop up the question to Marie real soon." She said. I stared at her, confused while she urged me with her eyes to follow her lead. I noticed Bella was coming out of the kitchen along with Emmett.

"I think so too, they've been flirting for more that a year…" I said too quickly, something that made my sister roll her eyes.

"Exactly- Oh hey you guys! Wanna watch some TV?" Alice asked them.

"Oh actually I should be heading back it's a three hour drive, and it's a school night." Emmett said, looking sadly at Bella. "Sweety, I'll come for you Friday night, okay?" He said softly and Bella nodded. "See you later guys!" Emmett said, waving towards us, already heading to the door. I waved back as did Alice. Finally Emmett opened the door and turned to look at Bella before engulfing her in a hug, Bella yelped, surprised and laughed.

"See you Friday honey." She yelled since he was already halfway towards the driveway where I noticed a black car parked. He got into the car and left. Bella came inside, a big smile on her face, and sat down next to me. There were a few moments in which nothing but the soft sound of the TV filled the room.

"I fancy some chips, I'm going to the store." My sister announced suddenly, making Bella and I jump. She took the car keys and before anyone could utter a word she was gone.

"Wow." Bella said once Alice was gone. "That was quick." She noted, pointing to the door.

"That was crazy." I corrected, smiling at her.

"That was Alice." She remarked and I laughed freely. That's what I like most about her, she is so clever and sweet. "Edward I want to ask you a favor…" She ventured.

"Anything." I found myself saying, even before I thought about it.

"First of all I want you to know its okay to say no…" She pondered and I nodded for her to proceed. "Well I was wondering, since you know, I'm going to Seattle this weekend…maybe you…could…keep Mark busy?" She stuttered

"Isn't he going with you?"

"Um…no…its just that, I don't know…I want to spend all my time with my friends…and I would feel guilty leaving Mark on the out… plus you haven't gotten a lot of friends time… so I thought… yeah." She finished lamely. I laughed lightly and nodded.

"Its okay, I think I can manage." I said happily, I could totally use this favor, Mark and I need some macho time. "Actually it'll be nice, don't you worry about it…"

"Aha…" She said nervously and I instantly knew there was something else to it.

"Okay spill it." I told her and she sighed before explaining.

"Well I was hoping you could do some activities…" She trailed off.

"Which would include…?" I trailed off just as she had done.

"Um…guy stuff…you know… playing sports, videogames, drinking…and…ah…bonding with Charlie." She said the catchy part quickly. I frowned slightly, although I got along great with Charlie I also didn't want to be the mediator between Bella's father and her boyfriend. Unfortunately during our little talk we had positioned ourselves so we were looking straight at each other. While I looked into her brown eyes, pleading me to help her, I couldn't deny.

"Why again do you want us to bond with Charlie?" I asked her lamely, trying not to look into her eyes. She had won though and she knew it.

"It's just that Charlie isn't very fond of Mark…but he likes you plenty much…so I figured it would work if you helped them bond… you are the perfect mediator, even better than me…" She explained while she looked me in the eye and I instantly knew I was screwed. I barely moved my head yes and I heard Bella squeal before I felt her arms around me.

"Thank you so much…I promise I'll make it up to you…" She said into our embrace. I brought my arms up to hug her and relished on the feeling of Bella in my arms. Too soon for my liking she let go and smiled at me before standing up and walking towards the kitchen, leaving me with a feeling of loss, as if there was something missing. Even when she came back a minute later and sat down beside I wanted to wrap my arm around her, to feel her close. I immediately tried to concentrate on something else, anything really. I found myself grabbing the control and changing channels without really listening to anything. After a minute or so of senseless channel switching Bella reached for the remote, grapping her hand around mine, effectively stopping me.

The moment our hands connected I was engulfed into a sea of feelings, from excitement, happiness, sorrow, regret but the strongest of these was a complete feeling or rightness, like her hand belonged with mine. Bella immediately took her hand away from mine, staring at my hand, still holding the remote, she then raised her eyes to mine and I could see in her beautiful brown eyes a troubled look. We stared at each other; it wasn't awkward at all, more like we were trying to read each other's thoughts. Just then Alice burst into the door, not even bothering to knock. That's funny I never heard the car in the driveway.

"Hey, Edward? Esme called, we should get going… she wants our help with something." She said sheepishly from the doorway. Thankful for the change in atmosphere I got up from the couch and mumbled something around the lines of 'well if Esme needs it' before we both said our goodbyes and headed out.

******

I stood inside Bella's house while she talked with Alice about the party she wanted to throw for Bella's Seattle's friends at our house. Well Bella listened while Alice went on and on about how great it sounded at what a great idea it was. Alice meanwhile was going to make Bella stay the night at our house Friday, so she would be able to arrange everything before everyone arrived. I was practically wallpaper, with how much I was participating in this conversation.

A while later, Emmett arrived and after a few moments of small talk he left with Bella for the weekend she was going to spend in Seattle. Alice and I went back to our house and at approximately 11pm Mark arrived. I immediately cheered up.

"Anthony, I heard we're having a macho weekend." He noted and I laughed at his stupidity. Alice had left for a sleepover at Vanessa's place, so it was the perfect time for some man time. Since we were both tired from the week we decided to call it a night pretty early after barely catching up with a couple of beers. Saturday morning we woke up, changed and had Esme's pancake's breakfast before playing videogames for at least two hours straight. It was all going so well, but there was something in the back of my mind. _Bond with Charlie._ That's so much simpler when it's just _me _bonding with Charlie…

The real problem here is how should I drop the bomb on Mark… I can't just say 'Hey we should go hang out with your father in law'. I needed a plan so I decided I would ask Jake to help me, he's a great friend with Charlie so I would pretend we're going to help Jake… which is partly true… only that Jake needs help at Charlie's.

"You've got to be kidding me Anthony…" Mark said exasperatedly from the passenger seat as I took my seatbelt off and reached for the handle.

"I should, but I'm not." I said and I opened the door and looked at him. "Come on, grow a pair and let's help Jake." I said innocently. Mark growled but took his seatbelt off.

"You know as well as I do that Charlie hates me." He noted. And it was partly true, or at least it looked like it. Charlie was perfectly friendly with everyone but Mark. I chuckled lightly at my best friend before getting out of the car.

"He doesn't hate you; you just need to know each other better." I said cockily before I closed the door and watched Mark do the same. "Come on, for Bella."

Mark sighed and nodded. "For Bella." He allowed and then walked with me to the door. I walked inside, since the door was open, and looked for Charlie. I heard some noise on the laundry room and headed that way with Mark on tower. Once I entered the laundry room I found Jake under the washing machine, doing what appeared to be some mechanic job. Charlie was simply sitting on the floor drinking what appeared to be coke, he noticed me and stood up immediately.

"I'm sorry Charlie, but the door was open and I just walked in." I said sheepishly. It was useless though because Charlie was already smiling.

"Don't worry about it, you're welcome here anytime. I love having you over." He said sincerely making a smile creep up to my cheeks. "I thought you were going to spend some time with Marvin."

I choked back a laugh and moved aside so Mark could be in Charlie's range of view. His eyes traveled past me and to Mark who looked very self conscious.

"Oh, I see you're here too Marvin." Charlie said without a tinge of emotion in his voice. Mark quickly walked towards him and they shook hands.

"Actually. it's _Mark_, Charlie." He corrected, trying to be polite.

"And its_ sir_, Marvin." Charlie retorted. Jake laughed and hit his head with the washing machine. I started laughing harder while still trying to stifle my giggles.

"Sorry sir." Mark said sheepishly. And that was pretty much their only conversation during the entire evening. I tried the whole time to include Mark on the conversation but he wasn't a lot of help. And the fact that Mark is so open minded while Charlie is a bit conservative wasn't of much help. We had dinner and talked for a bit, with Jake and me doing most of the talking. Finally at seven I had given up and Mark and I were about to head out. Mark said his goodbyes, happy to make it out of there alive and quickly walked to the car. I was saying good bye to Charlie when he pulled me back into the kitchen.

"Edward, I appreciate your doing this for my daughter, but it just won't work…" He said in a light tone. To say I was confused would be an understatement. "To be completely honest I do like Mark, but if I act like I do… well you know…"He trailed off. So he did like Mark. Hmm that means I spent my whole day here for absolutely nothing. I nodded my acknowledgement to Charlie before saying goodbye once again and turning around. "Oh, and, Edward?" He stopped me mid-step; I turned to look at him and cocked my head to the side so he would proceed. "This stays in this room." He ordered and I nodded seriously, finally able to leave this behind me.

**A/N: Hey you guys! I know probably half of you hate me right now…and believe me when I say, I hate myself as well. Well lets just say life has been really hectic, what with going back to school and my new training schedule, it all leaves me with an average of 5% free time which I usually use for my German classes or something else. Well I hope you can forgive me and I'll try to find time to update!**

**Also, I've decided that I want to know a couple of extra things about English, so I'll ask a couple questions and you can answer them in a review or pm if you feel like it.**

*** How exactly does college work? And why the hell do I keep reading stuff about college and **_**then**_** Med school or Law school… what's the freaking difference and for example, do you have to do college and after that apply for med school…I just don't get it.**

**If anyone can answer my question it would be very much appreciated plus I would answer any of their questions…**

**As always review and tell me what you think.**

_**This chapter's 'MUST-READ-FAN-FIC' suggestion is  
'Going for the gold' by tamelaine  
(I don't give a damn if its M rated… there's only one scene and its not graphic… plus its one of the greatest twilight fanfics I've read so far)**_

**Follow the arrow, Click and REVIEW!  
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